Daily News

FLORENCE — In the Northampton hamlet of Florence, craftspeople have been working to transform a large section of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center in New York City into a remarkable tribute to first responders who gave their lives saving others on Sept. 11, 2001. Today, July 10, at 11 a.m., supporters of Springfield’s September 11th Monument will visit Salmon Studios at 28 North Maple St. in Florence for a special preview of the memorial.

The World Trade Center artifact, given to the Spirit of Springfield by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is one of the largest steel remnants of the devastating terrorist attack. It is significant in size and meaning, and its use in this memorial will be unique among the nation’s 9/11 tributes. The monument was designed by Modvic and is being fabricated by Salmon Studios. The nine-and-a-half-foot-tall I-beam will stand vertically in front of a bronze wall which will have the names of first-responder heroes engraved on it. At night, the artifact will cast the shadow of the Twin Towers on the wall and names.

Members of the fundraising committee, chaired by Frank Colaccino, president of the Colvest Group, will be joined by Officer Joseph Gentile, president of International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 364, and Lt. Drew Piemonte, president of the International Assoc. of Firefighters Local 648.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno serves as the honorary chair of Springfield’s September 11th Monument committee. It is co-chaired by  John Barbieri, Springfield Police commissioner, and Bernard Calvi, Springfield Fire commissioner. Members of Springfield’s September 11th Monument fundraising committee are Colaccino; Matthew Bannister, PeoplesBank; Anthony Cignoli, A.L. Cignoli Co.; Charlie Arment, Charlie Arment Trucking; Sheila Doiron, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts; Dennis Duquette, MassMutual Foundation; Jason Freeman, Six Flags Entertainment Corp.; Kyle Houser, Val-Pak Western Massachusetts; Paul Phaneuf, St. Pierre-Phaneuf Funeral Chapels; Jason Rucker, MGM Springfield; Chris Russell, Springfield Business Improvement District; and CMSgt. Maryanne Walts, 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base.

Daily News

FLORENCE — Florence Bank promoted Jeremy Melton to the position of first vice president/Risk Management, Compliance and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) officer.

Melton joined Florence Bank in 2012. Prior to his recent promotion, he served as vice president/Risk Management, Compliance and CRA officer. Melton supports his community as the board chair and finance/audit committee member at Tapestry. He also serves as a board member for the Western Massachusetts Compliance Assoc.

“We are thrilled to see Jeremy’s career progress with the bank as he begins his new role as first vice president,” said Florence Bank President and CEO John Heaps Jr. “His exemplary performance and expert knowledge continue to make him an integral asset.”

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College announced that Patrick Love will serve a two-year interim appointment as vice president for Student Affairs and program director of the Student Personnel Administration (SPA) program, effective Aug. 6.  The college will resume a national search for both positions in 2020.

Love will serve as a member of the president’s leadership team in his role as VP for Student Affairs and will work closely with the leadership of the Division of Academic Affairs in his role as SPA program director.  “This appointment presents a unique opportunity to advance two important areas for Springfield College, and the college is fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Love’s caliber and expertise,” said Mary-Beth Cooper, Springfield College president.

Love brings to Springfield College a career in higher-education leadership and teaching, spanning managerial work in student affairs and academic affairs, and as a professor in Student Affairs. He is a lifelong educator who focuses on growth, development, and transformation.  He is also an experienced writer, author, speaker, coach, and trainer on leadership and management development.  He has consulted with or spoken at more than 40 colleges and universities, was a tenured professor at two research universities, and is nationally known for his innovative approaches to management as well as a commitment to student education and development.  He is active in both the American College Personnel Assoc. and the National Assoc. of Student Personnel Administrators.

Love is a forward thinker who will bring unique perspectives to Student Affairs and to Student Personnel Administration programming, Cooper said. Most recently, he was executive in residence at Bowling Green State University, serving as senior lecturer. Previously, he was vice president for Student Affairs at New York Institute of Technology, associate vice president for Student Affairs at Rutgers University, associate provost for Student Success at Pace University, co-director of the Higher Education Program at New York University, and director of the Master’s Higher Education Program at Kent State University.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The United Way of Pioneer Valley announced that Kathryn Dube is serving as interim president and CEO as the board of directors conducts a search for a new CEO.

Dube is a former chairman and vice chairman of the board at United Way of Pioneer Valley and has served as chairman to a number of United Way of Pioneer Valley committees. Most recently she was employed as senior advisor for the United Way of Pioneer Valley since her retirement in December 2017 and was recognized as United Way Volunteer of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Prior to retirement, Dube was a senior vice president of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at TD Bank and Berkshire Bank during her 38-year career.

Daily News

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University announced the launch of two new programs, including its second doctoral program, now enrolling.

Bay Path’s master of public health degree is designed to prepare graduates to pursue positions either as a public-health professional or as a leader in government, business, industry, higher education, or nonprofit organizations. For those aspiring to high-demand careers such as epidemiologists, environmental health specialists, public-health policy advisors, advanced health educators, and health survey researchers, a public-health degree is a requirement.

Any college graduate interested in pursuing a career in public health, regardless of field of undergraduate study, is eligible to apply for enrollment. The program’s 100% online format provides flexibility for students to pursue graduate education while continuing with family life, work, and other commitments. Classes start this fall.

“Public-health careers are often misunderstood because the field can be difficult to define,” said Scott McPhee, professor and interim Public Health program director. “Public health may invoke images of community public-health medical clinics or awareness campaigns promoting healthy living, but this discipline is not nearly so narrow. At one level, public health involves medical care provided within a community and outside a hospital setting. In a different context, public health can have local, regional, national, and global repercussions and refer to efforts to prevent epidemics and improve the health of entire populations.”

The university is also launching a doctor of nursing practice degree, set to begin in spring 2019. Like the master’s degree in public health, this program is 100% online, ensuring flexibility for those nurses who wish to obtain the skills to become advanced nurse practitioners with a specialization in family practice (FNP).

The doctor of nursing practice degree prepares students with the critical skills needed to translate evidence-based care into practice, improve systems of care, and measure outcomes of patients and communities. The program was designed for graduates to become strong, effective nurse leaders who will transform today’s healthcare system and advance the profession of nursing. Students can attend full-time or part-time (two or three courses per 15-week semester).

Cover Story

Creature Comforts

Executive Director Sarah Tsitso with a couple of poitou donkeys.

Executive Director Sarah Tsitso with a couple of poitou donkeys.

The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center has seen its share of changes over the decades, and its current executive director, Sarah Tsitso, admits it’s still an underappreciated asset in Springfield. But an asset it is, she asserts, one that has honed its focus in recent years to emphasize education, conservation, and rehabilitation — and all the intriguing ways those ideas intersect.

Montana is a bobcat who used to be someone’s pet. That is, until, authorities found out and confiscated her; even out west, you can’t just go bring home a bobcat.

But since Montana had been declawed, the aging feline had no chance of survival in the wild, and needed a new home. The Zoo in Forest Park became that home.

“We’ve started working more collaboratively with other zoos, and particularly sanctuaries and rehab facilities, around the country for animal placements,” said Sarah Tsitso, who was named the zoo’s executive director last spring. “We want animals that make sense for our zoo in terms of our size, our geography, and our climate — especially animals that can’t be released into the wild, that are living in a sanctuary right now and are in need of a permanent home.”

With its 125th anniversary around the corner next year, the zoo has seen its share of evolution over the years, and that process is never-ending, Tsitso said. “We’ve been doing a lot of internal strategic thinking about the direction we want to take going forward, and one of the things we’re really focused on is moving away from that traditional zoo model and more toward education, conservation, and rehabilitation.”

The facility has been working recently with sanctuaries in Florida, Texas, Kansas, and Ohio to provide a home for animals in need of one. One example is a 1-year-old orphan coyote who was brought to a sanctuary with a broken leg. “She healed, but has never lived in the wild,” Tsitso said. “So she’s being flown in here.”

She’ll share the zoo’s four and a half acres with some 150 animal species, from timberwolf siblings Orion and Aurora to a pair of red-tailed hawks who rehabbed from injury but are not releasable in the wild, to a three-legged baby opossum who had the fourth limb amputated due to a serious injury, and is being moved from a sanctuary to its new home in Forest Park.

Then there’s a mink named Monte who escaped from a fur farm in Utah and found his way to a sanctuary, Tsitso said. “They were looking for a home for him because he’s never been in the wild; he was bred for his fur. We named him after the Count of Monte Cristo. Because of the jailbreak.”

In fact, the majority of the zoo’s animals are elderly, disabled in some way, or otherwise unable to survive in the wild, which makes the center’s focus on conservation and rehabilitation an important part of its robust educational outreach.

“Certainly, we want people to be aware that human interference has consequences,” Tsitso said. “Some of these animals have been hit by cars or are otherwise examples of nature meeting humans.”

Although a part of Forest Park for well over a century, the zoo is still an underap-preciated city asset, its executive director says.

Although a part of Forest Park for well over a century, the zoo is still an underap-preciated city asset, its executive director says.

The zoo is currently working to bring in two bald eagles, a male and female, from a wildlife sanctuary in Alaska. Neither is releasable into the wild, as one had to have a wing tip amputated, and other one had a broken wing, so neither can fly.

“They’ll provide some interesting education to the public about bald eagles and why they are a symbol of our nation and how they were once endangered and now, through all these conservation efforts, their population has stabilized, which is wonderful,” Tsitso said.

She hopes to one day tell similar stories about other threatened or endangered animals in the Zoo at Forest Park, including its ring-tailed lemurs, arctic wolves, and poitou donkeys. “We’re continuing that movement of bringing in animals that need a home, that fit with our collection, and that are educationally interesting to people.”

In the meantime, this nonprofit veteran has found her own new home in a job she loves.

“I just felt like it was my opportunity to give something back to Springfield,” Tsitso said, “and do what I could do to make sure this asset stays around another 125 years and that people know it’s it’s here, and come and enjoy what we have to offer — and we have so much to offer.”

Hear Her Roar

Tsitso told BusinessWest that Nathan Bazinet, the zoo’s interim director before she arrived, and Nunzio Bruno, then its board president, were looking for someone to come in and bring stability to this venerable nonprofit, despite the many challenges it faces.

“They wanted someone to connect it to the community and run it like a business,” she said, noting that conversations started a year before she came on board, but when she did, she fully embraced the opportunity.

“I really love the zoo,” she said. “It’s so ingrained in the fabric of Springfield and this neighborhood in particular. I really feel like I was meant to be here. I feel very fulfilled here — we have a great board, a great staff, and I love working with the animals.”

Until recently, Tsitso and her family lived in the Forest Park neighborhood — for more than 15 years, in fact.

“Our daughter was born in a house not a half-mile from here. And when she was little, we came here all the time. We’d walk from our house to here, she had birthday parties here, she loved this place. And I just really appreciated that it was here. Yet, so many people are unaware that we have this asset, this treasure, right here in the city.”

True to the zoo’s full name — the Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center — the facility focuses heavily on wildlife education, offering a variety of educational programs and special events for children and adults, from Zoo on the Go — which brings animals into schools, libraries, and senior centers — to guided tours and discovery programs for all ages, as well as Zoo Camp during winter and summer school vacations.

The zoo also offers a vibrant internship program, she said, providing students at area colleges studying animal science or veterinary care an opportunity to learn outside the classroom.

Broadening those programs is a priority, Tsitso said, for reasons that extend beyond the value of education, which is significant.

“Our biggest revenue stream is admission, and we’re only open five months of the year, and for two of those five months, it’s weekends,” she said. “So it’s very challenging to meet our budget. But we’re working on some new avenues of revenue. We’re expanding our education programs. Our Zoo on the Go and education programs run year-round, so we can really bolster those and create some new partnerships in the community whereby we can be offering those programs more consistently.”

The zoo used to receive state funding, but that ended about five years ago, although Tsitso and her team are trying to re-establish that revenue source. Meanwhile, community partnerships remain crucial, like Paul Picknelly’s recent donation of first-week proceeds at the new Starbucks at Monarch Place to fund an exhibit of African cats at the zoo.

“Those kinds of community partnerships are really what’s going to keep us growing,” she added, “and we’re really hoping that the community, as they realize all the wonderful things happening here, keep coming back.”

This wallaby is one of some 150 species of animals living at the Zoo in Forest Park.

This wallaby is one of some 150 species of animals living at the Zoo in Forest Park.

Operating a zoo at affordable admission prices — in addition to day passes, many families take advantage of $85 memberships, which are good all season for up to six family members — is a challenge, Tsitso said, especially since the zoo is not affiliated with the city and gets no revenue from other Forest Park-based events. It does benefit from a series of 25-year leases from the city at $1 per year — the current lease expires in 2035 — as well as the fact that Springfield foots its electric bill.

“We’re very grateful to the city because for a long time they have been great partners for us, but there is a differentiation between us and the city,” she said. “We’re not overseen by the city; we have our own board of directors.”

Poignant Paws

Those directors chose Tsitso — who has claimed leadership roles with nonprofit groups including Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, the East of the River 5 Town Chamber of Commerce, two Springfield-based Boys & Girls Clubs, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts — to guide the zoo through its next era of growth, but it has to be controlled growth, she said, based on its limited footprint.

“We’re four and a half acres, and we’re not getting an inch more of space. So whatever we do has to be self-contained in these four and a half acres. We’re really thoughtful about the improvements we’re making.”

That’s why she and her team are working with the animal-care staff to create a sort of wish list of what animal exhibits the zoo lacks, what it should bring in, and how it might acquire those animals.

“We’ve been pretty fortunate in working with people all around the country who are willing to help us and are looking for great placements for these animals,” she went on. “Most of them are so excited their animals are coming here.”

In many ways, the Zoo in Forest Park is not the same attraction families experienced decades ago, Tsitso noted.

“A lot of people have memories of the zoo when it was a very different place, when the monkey house was here and we had all those large animals, and it didn’t make sense for the animals. We’re very thoughtful about the kinds of animals here now. You’ll never see another polar bear. You’ll never see another black bear. You’ll never see another elephant. Those are animals we’ll never have again.”

The animals that do call Forest Park home have plenty to offer visitors, including the rush of school groups that take field trips there, averaging some two to three groups a day during the spring.

“That’s a big piece — we want to get kids in here, and we want to get them excited about nature and exposed to lots of different types of animals,” Tsitso said. “For a lot of kids, especially inner-city kids, they’ve never seen a lot of these animals. Even a goat is something that’s new and interesting to them. So it’s really fun to watch the kids come in and not just see the animals, but get to interact with some of them and get an education about them. How do they eat? How do they sleep?”

When the zoo shuts its doors to visitors for the cold months, typically around Halloween, the ones who don’t like the cold move into indoor facilities — like Oz, a spotted leopard Tsitso pointed out on a recent stroll with BusinessWest through the grounds. Oz has a large outdoor enclosure, but also a small ‘house’ that’s heated during the cold months.

It’s home to him, just as the Springfield area has long been home to Tsitso, who has found her new calling leading the zoo’s small staff — two full-time animal-care professionals, about four part-timers, and a raft of volunteers and interns — into whatever its next phase may bring.

“Springfield is very important to me. It really is the economic center of our whole area, and when Springfield succeeds, we all succeed,” she said, adding, however, that the zoo is a city asset that feels, well, apart from the city.

“One thing I love about this zoo, being inside Forest Park, is that it feels very natural in here, very close to nature, with lots of green and lots of trees. It doesn’t feel like Springfield. It really is a little sanctuary.”

Not just for her, but for those who visit the zoo — and the growing collection of animals that call it home.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Sections

Driving Change

General Manager Mike Filomeno

General Manager Mike Filomeno

The modern auto dealership — marked by drive-in service areas, well-appointed waiting areas, and high-tech touches — have become standard in the industry, and Ford demands no less of its showrooms. Marcotte Ford, with a 50-year history on Main Street in Holyoke, was especially in need of such a makeover, and the family that owns it is set to unveil its new HQ this summer, bringing the company’s look and feel firmly into the 21st century.

When Marcotte Ford reopens its dealership on Main Street in Holyoke this summer — after a year spent in temporary digs across the street — it will be the culmination of two complementary visions: Ford’s on one hand, and the Marcotte family’s on the other.

“It’s been a long, long road to get where we are today,” said General Manager Mike Filomeno. “Obviously, Ford has a rebranding and a new look that they want, to refresh the whole facility and make it more customer-friendly. Then there are all the touch points we’re going to have — a brand-new shop, all-new equipment, indoor delivery areas for the customers to pick up their cars, all kinds of new technology to make the experience more user-friendly.

“It’s like a McDonald’s,” he went on. “Do you want to go to the old McDonald’s or the brand-new one that has the wi-fi and the TVs and the multiple drive-thru lanes? That’s the philosophy. People want to go someplace that’s new. They want new technology and a new experience.”

What both Ford and the Marcotte family are looking for is the fulfillment of two goals that seem contradictory, but really aren’t, and are being reflected in dealership remodels across all brands: to make it easier and quicker for customers to get in and out when buying or servicing a vehicle, but also making the space more welcoming during the time they have to be there.

To get to that point, Marcotte has spent the last year doing business across the street, in the former location of Gary Rome Hyundai, which relocated to a much larger lot on Whiting Farms Road in 2016.

It’s been cramped, Filomeno said, but much better than working out of temporary trailers. To ease the burden on a smaller service area, Marcotte has sent much of its heavy-duty repair work down the street to its commercial truck center, which opened in 2015.

“When this became available, we ended up buying this place,” Filomeno said. “That was perfect timing. It was empty for a while, and we reached out to Gary Rome and talked to him about renting some space, and he needed to do something as well. So we made a deal last June to move over here.”

Come this summer, the year spent in cramped quarters will have been worth it, Filomeno said, with the opening of the 40,000-square-foot, $8 million facility, which will include a 24-bay service area, including a dedicated space for vehicle inspections. As for the former Rome location, it will become Marcotte’s commercial-sales location, bringing to four (along with the neighboring Paper City Car Wash) the number of Marcotte-owned properties along a half-mile stretch of Route 5.

“We haven’t had that prime A location in the automotive world, as far as being on Riverdale Road or King Street in Northampton, where there are multiple franchises and people can go to one from another,” he noted. “But we have been a destination dealer, and we’ve done that by taking care of the customers, having good employees, and going the extra mile for people.”

New Look … and Taste

Doing all that will be easier in the redesigned Marcotte Ford headquarters, which reflects the types of features Ford demands in all its new stores, Filomeno said.

“They want to have the branding in the façade out front, and they want all the touch points to be user-friendly,” he explained. “We’ll have the indoor drive-through, where you bring in your car and drop it off, and service will come out to you to write it up. We’ll have a customer waiting area with a big TV there, and wi-fi hotspots where they can sit while they’re in the customer lounge.”

On the service side, customers have long been able to get a loaner vehicle when they bring their car or truck in for service, and Marcotte will continue with that service, he added, while employees will appreciate the state-of-the-art, climate-controlled shop decked out with new equipment.

The company is especially excited about LugNutz Café, a restaurant that existed in the former building, but will be significantly expanded in the new one.

LugNutz Café initially served breakfast two days a week for employees and customers, but will be expanding to breakfast and lunch six days a week, featuring sandwiches, wraps, soups, pizzas, and breakfast items like omelettes.

“Bryan came up with the idea, and people loved it,” Filomeno said. “With all the employees we have all day long, come lunchtime around here, we have Chinese, pizzas, and grinders being delivered here, or people going out for food. Now they’ll be able to eat right here. That’s another good service that people will enjoy — I think it’ll be a wow factor.”

Company President Mike Marcotte said customers will appreciate the new touches, from the drive-through service lane to interactive screens in the sales offices to help them quickly access information.

Marcotte expects to unveil its 40,000-square-foot renovation in August, followed by a September grand opening.

Marcotte expects to unveil its 40,000-square-foot renovation in August, followed by a September grand opening.

“The building was 50 years old, and we’ve added on, but now it was time to do a refresh,” he said. “It’s definitely more customer-oriented, with better flow and more technology.”

Filomeno said the dealership aims to be different because other Ford dealers have a similar look. “So we’re making it our own with the LugNutz and some of the other things we’re doing to make ourselves stand out.

“It’s more than the tile and furniture Ford wants,” he went on. “We’re looking forward to some new ways to do business, taking care of the customer, getting them in and out of here, both on the service and the sales side. People want to come in and buy a car in an hour and get through it. They don’t want to wait four hours. So that’s what we’re migrating toward.”

Marcotte agreed. “We feel like buying a car should be a fun experience, not stressful, even though it’s most people’s second-biggest purchase after their house,” he said.

It’s also a different sales experience than it used to be, thanks to the internet. “People do a lot more research before coming in, before they even contact us,” Marcotte noted, noting that the visit is still crucial, because vehicles today are so loaded with high-tech safety equipment and other features that customers still want someone to demonstrate everything they might be able to utilize.

The new facility will reflect those high-tech advances as well, Filomeno said. “Our vision is to have the grand opening come the fall, once we’re fully established, and have a soft opening around August. We have to get in there and get everything working.”

Family Legacy

Marcotte’s grandfather, Al, opened his namesake dealership in 1961 at a different site in Holyoke before moving to its long-time location on Route 5 in 1967. Bryan eventually joined the team, followed by Mike a generation later. Today, the dealership employs a number of other family members, including Filomeno, who married into the Marcotte clan.

It’s a company with not only family ties, but deep community roots as well, Filomeno said, noting that Marcotte Ford has supported a number of local nonprofits over the years, from Kate’s Kitchen and Providence Ministries to the baseball teams customers’ kids play on.

“You can only do so much, but we try to be as generous as we can because it does make a difference,” he added. “You’ve got to support the community you work in. So we’ve made a conscious effort to make sure we do that on a regular basis.”

With a 56-year history behind it, Marcotte said, the dealership felt it was past time to make the changes almost ready to be unveiled across the street.

“We’ve been looking at this for several years,” he said, noting that it’s a good time to reinvest, with sales — particularly the truck business and the commercial side — booming.

“Business has been good. We’re just always trying to find ways to find more business,” Filomeno noted, adding, however, that he’s unsure how people will react to Ford’s decision to discontinue some lines.

“That’s a challenge for us, because people are asking why and what’s going on, but I think they’re trying to get rid of some of the less-profitable cars and concentrate on more of the profitable items and come out with some new products. There’s a new Echo Sport, we’re going to have new Rangers, some new Broncos coming in.”

Meanwhile, people’s driving habits are different than before, with younger drivers more willing to rideshare and use public transportation — not to mention the prospect of autonomous cars, which may someday significantly impact people’s decision to even own a car. So it’s important, he said, for dealers and manufacturers to anticipate possible trends while continuing to focus on what they do well.

“There’s some uncertainty as far as what’s coming, but our bread and butter has been the truck line and SUV line, and that has been very strong,” he said. “There have been other changes in the industry, too. Right now gas is going up a little, and interest rates are going up a little. People have been spoiled for years, when we gave them 2%, 1%, 0% financing, and, that’s not always there now. You have to just adapt.”

With 142 team members across all facets of the company, there’s been plenty of adapting and moving around while the main site has been given over to construction over the past year, Marcotte said, adding, however, that employee morale has remained high during the transition.

That’s important, Filomeno added, because, while the internet has helped the company sell outside the local market, it’s still a company built on customer service.

“Although Ford has got a great product, you can’t say you’ll never have a problem with a car,” he told BusinessWest. “But if you do, we try to make that experience as positive as we can. That’s been the forte of our business model all along.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Banking and Financial Services

Tale of Two Cities

Connecticut has had its share of economic challenges in recent years, including a slow but steady outmigration of residents. Many might not be aware, however, of how stark the differences are between Connecticut and Massachusetts when it comes to long-term job recovery from the Great Recession — including Springfield’s relative strength when compared to Hartford. Farmington Bank’s economic adviser recently broke down the numbers, painting a picture that should be encouraging to those north of the border.

As an economic adviser for Farmington Bank, Don Klepper-Smith spends most of his analytical energy on Connecticut, but when he compares that state’s recent performance with its neighbor to the north, the numbers are stark.

“When we talk about Springfield and Hartford, I think the analogy ‘tale of two cities’ is appropriate,” Klepper-Smith said during a recent Farmington Bank webinar on the national and regional economy.

Since the low point of the Great Recession in 2009 — when unemployment spiked across the U.S. before the gradual recovery kicked in — the Greater Springfield area has created 32,000 new jobs, while Greater Hartford has created 37,000.

“So you’ve got close to 70,000 new jobs in the I-91 corridor between these two areas,” he noted. That’s all good. “But when we look at them in the context of our job-recovery rate, you can see Springfield is clearly outperforming Hartford — and looking a lot like the nation.”

The key takeaway is how much of the 2008-09 job losses have returned, he explained, and that’s where Springfield has really outpaced Hartford. While Hartford is now 4,200 jobs above full recovery — that is, above where the job picture stood in March 2008, before the economy collapsed — Springfield is 16,600 jobs above that line. To put it another way, Hartford has recovered 112.7% of its recession-era job losses, while Springfield has recovered 209.2%, gaining back its losses more than twice over. The national recovery figure, by the way, is 217.8%.

“When I think of Springfield, two words that come to mind are ‘stellar performance,’ with a job recovery rate that’s about twice that of Hartford,” Klepper-Smith said. “I think Hartford has its own challenges. We know the fiscal situation there has been tenuous, but I think economic-development policies are the reasons why Springfield is doing as well as it is.”

That’s good news for Springfield, which has been on a hot streak of good economic news for some time now, with the MGM Springfield casino at the forefront of that. But the numbers also reflect an overall disconnect in the way Massachusetts and Connecticut have respectively recovered from the economic downturn of a decade ago — and it’s a striking gap.

Tale of Two States

It’s hard to believe, Klepper-Smith says, that the U.S. recovery from the trough of the recession is now nine years old.

“The average postwar recovery is five years, so we’re getting a little bit long in the tooth here, and we’re looking for what could go wrong and trying to keep a positive attitude as we move through the balance of the year,” he went on. “Looking at the tea leaves and looking at the fundamentals, I’d say there’s a two in three chance we go forward with positive but slower economic growth — in the 2% to 2.5% range.”

Don Klepper-Smith

Don Klepper-Smith says economic-development policies have contributed to Springfield’s recent successes.

Yet, Connecticut continues to struggle — in fact, Hartford is among its strongest metropolitan areas in job growth, putting the rest of the state into stark relief. “State budget issues have undermined business confidence and promoted outmigration,” Klepper-Smith said, noting that the Nutmeg State has been shedding 428 people per week on average to other states.

“But as we go forward,” he said, “it boils down to consumers. Right now, what are consumers going to be doing for rest of 2018?”

Consumer confidence is rooted firmly in job creation, he was quick to note on more than one occasion. And Massachusetts job creation has been running circles around its southerly neighbor for much of the past decade.

Let’s go back to job-recovery rates, this time on the state level. Connecticut peaked at 1,713,000 jobs in March 2008, dropped to 1,594,000 by the following year — a 7% erosion — and has returned to a level of 1,687,000 jobs. That’s a recovery rate of just 78%, far below any other New England state.

“We seem to be stuck in this 80% range for job recovery, and right now we’re the only state in New England not to see full job recovery,” Klepper-Smith said of Connecticut. “I’ll be honest: I don’t see that number going above 100% any time soon. I don’t see robust job growth materializing any time soon.”

Massachusetts, in contrast, has been a model of recovery. From a 3,331,000 peak in 2008, the Bay State fell to 3,191,000 jobs at its 2009 trough — a 4.2% erosion — but now stands at 3,645,000, a whopping 322% recovery rate.

“In Connecticut, I’d have to use the word ‘lackluster’ for job recovery,” Klepper-Smith said, projecting that state likely won’t reach full recovery until 2020, several years after Massachusetts did so multiple times over.

The good news locally, he said, is that the Knowledge Corridor — the amorphous region stretching from Greater Hartford to Hampshire County — is doing well, even on the Connecticut side.

“We’ve got varying degrees of both strength and weakness. What we can say is the regional economy in the I-91 corridor is clearly performing well,” he noted, adding that the total non-farm job-growth rate is currently 0.8% in Hartford and 1.2% in Springfield, while the national figure is 1.6%. Again, Hartford pales in that comparison, but it’s behind only Danbury (1.0%) among Connecticut’s metro areas.

“I think the Connecticut economy seems to be moving sideways more than anything else, with pockets of both strength and weakness. We’re seeing signs of decelerating in many of the economic metrics we have,” Klepper-Smith said, noting that Connecticut’s gross state product ranks 49th nationally, ahead of only Louisiana.

“I’m hoping we can make some progress there as we move into 2019. We’re underperforming in job growth and income creation — and job growth will be what it’s all about. Jobs, jobs, jobs — they’re so important because of income, spending confidence, tax revenue, and all those linkages.”

National Picture

Nationally, Klepper-Smith said, the U.S. continues on a moderately positive path, growing at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 2.2%, though inflation — and rising costs of gas, healthcare, and home prices — are a concern.

“One of the things we can all agree on is that there are some pros and cons of living in an interconnected global economy,” he said. “And in economics, there are always tradeoffs; there’s never really a sense of clear winners and losers. Sometimes we have to wait and see how that all shakes out.

“But what we do know is what’s going on with the consumer sector,” he went on. “Consumers are so important to what’s going on because personal consumption accounts for roughly two-thirds of real gross domestic product.”

On one hand, he said, consumer-confidence measurables are strong — up 8% from last year and approaching 1990s levels, which is encouraging. But that trend could be tripped up by any number of factors.

“What we do know is that consumer fundamentals are being pressured, and risks to the current business expansion are becoming imperiled with rising energy prices, higher interest rates, and the expectation of higher healthcare costs heading into 2019. I think that’s a table setter for where we are, with the consumer feeling a little more squeezed and a little less comfortable compared to where we were back in March.”

Klepper-Smith expects the Fed to move with caution for the rest of the year. “We can now say the Fed sees rising inflationary pressures, and I honestly don’t feel they’re going to be aggressive on rate increases going forward. We’re probably not looking at more than two rate increases for the balance of 2018.”

If there’s one indicator to watch closely through the rest of the year, he said, it is, quite simply, how are consumers feeling? “One of the factors is the fact that the labor markets themselves have not shown meaningful progress. What that means is that we have not seen meaningful growth in consumer spending power.

“People ask me, ‘why doesn’t this feel like economic recovery the way I understood it in the past?’” he went on. “The answer is that we haven’t seen robust growth in consumer spending power.”

Back to Work

That comes down to jobs, of course, and Klepper-Smith admitted his dampened enthusiasm is mainly due to what he sees in Connecticut — which, again, puts Massachusetts in a very good light when it comes to its continuing recovery and expansion after the Great Recession.

“The good news is that we’ve seen job recovery in both regions, but I think that the problems that we have in Hartford are a bit more pronounced on the fiscal side, and I don’t think they’ll be going away any time soon,” he concluded.

It’s a sobering reflection of the myriad factors at play in creating an economic outlook — and a reminder that, even on the most challenging days in Massachusetts, things could be a lot worse.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Sports & Leisure

Exit Strategy

Lise Lawrence

Lise Lawrence, in the study where a professor has disappeared — and visitors must learn why.

Escape Games have been growing in popularity across the U.S., but the Pioneer Valley lacked such an attraction until siblings Lise Lawrence and Tom Dahl opened Puzzled Escape Games at Eastworks in 2016. Since then, they’ve offered several levels of challenge to friends, families, and even companies that take advantage of the activity as a team-building experience. And an experience it is — one that can be as tense and unnerving as it is entertaining.

Picture this: you’re on vacation in Mexico, you visit a tequila distillery, drink too much questionable tequila, pass out, and wake up chained to the wall in a Mexican drug lord’s basement. Now, you have to figure out how to get out in just one hour, before he comes back.

That may sound awful, but plenty of people are happily signing up for the experience — well, minus the tequila.

Indeed, that story is the setup of “Escape from Escobar’s,” one of three escape-room experiences at Puzzled Escape Games, which recently celebrated its two-year anniversary at Eastworks in Easthampton.

Lise Lawrence, who launched and manages the attraction along with her brother, Tom Dahl, recently gave BusinessWest a glimse of what visitors experience on a daily basis, showing how a group of individuals are handcuffed to the wall in a dungeon set, and can’t reach each other — but each has a different perspective on the rest of the room, and they must work together to figure out how to free themselves, first from their shackles and then from the chamber itself.

“You have to communicate,” she said. “People in the front of the cell can see things the people in the back can’t.”

Lawrence, who has a background in film, and Dahl, an actor and screenwriter, established the first escape room in Western Mass. with the goal of building something different than the typical model of ‘find the clues, escape the room’ — even though there’s plenty of that.

“All these places are fun, but what we really pride ourselves on is storylines and set decoration and experience,” she said. “We want to create that real experience, where the only ones who can get you out are you and your team. If you’re alone, you can’t get out of your handcuffs; you need the other people.”

Of course, a game that starts with the claustrophobic tension of a dungeon and handcuffs might not appeal to everyone, which is why Puzzled offers two other experiences: “Find the Professor of the Occult,” and “The Lost Wand,” which appeals to the younger set.

In the former, players enter a large study lined with bookshelves, a desk, and several other items. “The professor’s gone missing, and his housekeeper heard a loud thunder noise, and she went in to investigate, and he was gone,” Lawrence said. “So you’re a paranormal investigator, and you have to figure out what happened to the missing professor.”

In each case, the scenario is introduced by a ‘game master’ who becomes part of the story before leaving the players to their own devices. “That’s another thing that sets us apart from other escape games, where it’s like, ‘OK, go in there and figure it out.’ The moment you walk in the door, you’re aleady engaged with us.”

In its two-plus years of operation, Puzzled Escape Games has engaged a steady flow of participants looking for a different type of activity. For this issue’s focus on sports and leisure, BusinessWest talks to Lawrence about why it’s fun for people to exercise their brains in this way — and why they keep coming back, only to be trapped again.

No Simple Escape

Anyone who thinks these games are easy can think again, Lawrence said — about 20% of teams manage to escape Escobar’s dungeon within the hour allotted, and about 30% figure out what happened to the professor and make their way out of his study. For the rest, well, answers are given to those who want them, while others choose to come back and try again.

“Surprisingly, people usually aren’t disappointed,” she said. “They’re like, ‘oh man, how far did we get?’ You can come back for half price if you want to play the same room again. Or we show you the rest of the tricks.”

Chalkboards outside each game celebrate

Chalkboards outside each game celebrate the teams who completed the challenge the fastest.

Dahl and a screenwriting friend based in Toronto — he and his wife are also partners at Puzzled — came up with the idea of launching an escape room after visiting several and realizing Western Mass. didn’t have such an attraction.

“They said, ‘we can create an experience without cell phones. We can have people work together and have fun using different parts of their brain,’” Lawrence recalled. “They noticed the biggest thing, when you go to other escape games, is that it’s not heavy on storyline. A lot of times, there’s not a lot of intro. We thought, ‘how could we make it a fully immersive experience?’

“That’s why, when you walk through the door, you’re immediately part of the adventure,” she went on. “The game masters are acting with you. As you’re asking, ‘oh, what does this open?’ and finding clues the puzzle, you’re also learning about what happened to the professor. Why did he disappear in the first place? You’re building the storyline. We have set designers on staff, so we’ve created a theater set, so you feel even more immersed in the experience.”

“The Lost Wand,” which opened in December, caters more to kids with its wizarding-school theme (shades of Harry Potter), but mostly draws adults, just like the other two games. It’s also easier than the other two, with a roughly 80% success rate; when kids play, certain puzzles can be switched out for easier ones, and the pass rate jumps to 100%. A wizard-themed party room adjoining the puzzle room hosts theme birthday parties and other events.

Yet, kids do surprisingly well in the other games as well, Lawrence said, especially “Find the Professor.”

“Funny enough, they do amazing in that room because it’s so academic,” Lawrence said. “I was hosting a group of 12- and 13-year-olds, six of them, and they got out. Kids that age might look for things we might not even think about.”

Still, kids dig “The Lost Wand” for the appeal of sitting in a Potteresque classroom, which sits just beyond a lobby filled with board games, tables, and quirky décor — and that’s part of the experience, too.

“It starts with our lobby. The doors are open, and sometimes people come in just to hang out and play board games,” she explained. “We have our wizarding music playing in the background, we have our fun lights, and this is a great place for people to ramp up and get ready for their game.

“Then,” she added, “the game master comes out and does the intro: ‘this is the Massachusetts Academy of Magic.’ Then the door opens, they enter, and their game experience begins.”

In all three games, teams may ask for up to three clues during the hour when they get stuck. “You agree together you’d like a clue, and you press the doorbell. Monitors are watching through cameras, so we have eyes and ears on you, and we give you the best clue possible.”

The lobby outside “The Lost Wand”

The lobby outside “The Lost Wand” is packed with games to pass the time while waiting for the main event.

Everyone gets one extra tip in “Find the Professor,” however — the hundreds of gold-colored books lining the long wall of shelves aren’t clues at all, and the game master says as much, to avoid having teams waste time on them.

“We tell people these gold books are just set decorations, and you don’t have to look in them or behind them,” Lawrence said. “Some people are like, ‘no, they lied to us.’ But we just don’t want to waste your time. Trust us, focus on other things around the room.”

You’re in the Picture

Lawrence draws on her experience creating film festivals to craft a much more interactive type of experience at Puzzled, while most of the staff have backgrounds in graphic design, painting, set design, and the like. The window in the “Lost Wand” classroom is a colorful, painted dragon’s head, and it’s illuminated at night, so visitors see it from outside Eastworks.

It’s not just families and groups of friends who take part in the games; companies have visited as team-building exercises, which is an especially good use of “Escape from Escobar’s,” with teamwork absolutely necessary to escape those initial handcuffs. “We really push to get groups and companies that want to have a fun activity that also enhances team building and communication. This is a great room for that.”

As for other visitors, they appreciate a different experience from the usual night out, even though not everyone is sold right away.

“A lot of times, there’s one person that’s dragged in, saying, ‘I would never choose to do this on a night out.’ Those are my favorite customers because they soon realize it’s not what they think. I was one of those. It took me two years before I did one because I didn’t want to get locked in a room; I didn’t want to feel stupid.

“But one moment can change all that,” she went on. “If they’re the one that finds the first clue, all of a sudden they’re part of that team. Now they’re the ones that get excited, like ‘wow, I had no idea that was going to happen.’ Most people walk out happy. This isn’t for everybody, but it’s for most.”

Because two of the games require at least four players, sometimes strangers are tossed together, depending on who shows up and when. “Those groups usually have the highest escape rate because there’s different minds in there all working together,” Lawrence said.

It’s fun to make progress on the puzzles, she added, even if the end result isn’t a timely escape — and, hopefully, it’s fun mixed with actual thrills. “In Escobar’s, people start thinking, ‘what if I really went on vacation and this happened?’ It’s freaky. People sweat because it gets intense.”

What she hasn’t sweated is launching a startup with Dahl, even after both had heard it’s not a good idea to be, well, handcuffed to one’s sibling in a business venture. But they’re close and get along well, she said.

“We both went to the performing-arts high school in Hadley, so we’re local, and it’s nice to create something artistic and bring something back to our community,” she told BusinessWest. “That’s literally the basis — how can we provide a fun, immersive experience for people? It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding. That’s why we do it.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Sports & Leisure

Upwardly Mobile

By Kayla Ebner

Hana Skirkey says rock climbers are drawn to the sport

Hana Skirkey says rock climbers are drawn to the sport for both the physical challenge and the welcoming community.
Photos by Kayla Ebner

Hana Skirkey says that, increasingly, individuals young and old are looking for outlets that are both mentally and physically challenging — a tough combination to come by.

Perhaps that difficult search for such an activity is why more people are turning to indoor rock climbing as either a fun activity or a competitive sport. It could also be because climbing offers individuals an opportunity to see some incredible places around the world. Or maybe, it’s because of the truly welcoming people that belong to the climbing community.

Skirkey, general manager of Central Rock Gym in Hadley, believes the the answer is, well, all of the above.

“Indoor climbing is great because you can do it in any type of weather, and the community here is amazing,” said Skirkey, who told BusinessWest that the Hadley location is ideally situated in many respects.

For starters, it’s within a few hours — or even a few minutes — of some challenging and thus popular climbing spots. Meanwhile, it’s situated in the middle of the Five College area — and perhaps 40,000 college students, who make up a large percentage of the growing climbing community.

Actually, Hadley is the second location for Central Rock Gym, or CRG, as it’s called. The company was founded by brothers Ed and Joe Hardy, who decided to bring their love for climbing to their hometown of Worcester, and opened their first location there in 2009. Hadley followed just two years later.

Today, there are nine CRG locations spread across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York, and four more locations are set to open very soon. According to CRG’s website, a location in Manhattan will be opening this summer; another Bay State location, in Stoneham, will open in September; and two facilities, in Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y. will be debuting in November. In less than a decade, this business has grown from one facility to 13.

This profound growth reflects the steadily rising popularity of rock climbing — again, as both a recreational activity and competitive sport — in Western Mass. and across the country, for that matter.

The no-harness activity known as boulder-ing gives climbers a different type of experience.

The no-harness activity known as boulder-ing gives climbers a different type of experience.

And the Hadley facility is, in essence, a microcosm of this phenomenon, said Skirkey, referencing everything from the wide age disparity of CRG members — they range from 3 to 90 or so — to the way families are embracing the sport as a unit.

For this issue and its focus on sports and recreation, BusinessWest talked with Skirkey at length about rock climbing, CRG and its Hadley facility, and why the climbing community continues its torrid pace of growth.

Scaling Up the Business

Located at 165 Russell St., CRG’s Hadley facility is a short drive from some of the top climbing destinations in this region, including the White Mountains, making it the perfect spot for outdoor adventurers to train and have fun. There are also many local crags in the Western Mass. area, including Chapel Ledge in Ashfield, Mormon Hollow in Wendell State Forest, and the Skinner area in Hadley.

“There’s a lot of outdoor climbing specifically in Western Mass. compared to other parts of the state,” said Skirkey, who has enjoyed climbing for most of her life.

She graduated from UMass Amherst in 2010 and was the president of the UMass Outing Club (UMOC) where she enjoyed “fun — what some people call crazy — activities” with friends who had the same interest and excitement as she did for various outdoor hobbies. UMOC is a UMass Amherst registered student organization that organizes outdoor trips to both local and distant areas, taking part in activities such as hiking, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, and everything in between. Aside from being the president, Skirkey was also a hiking/backpacking and whitewater kayaking leader for UMOC.

Although she never imagined herself being a climbing-gym manager, Skirkey knew she wanted to be somewhere with like-minded individuals who enjoy being active as much as she does. And CRG is the perfect fit.

“It’s not a normal office job,” she said. “Being a part of the community is great here.”

A passion for those ‘crazy’ activities is one of the things Skirkey loves about the outdoor community. Making friends is easy, she explained, when everyone in a community loves to do a specific thing together — in this case, indoor rock climbing.

After graduation, Skirkey heard the gym was opening a location in Hadley, so she applied. She got a job as a desk staff member, and a year later moved on to assistant manager. She continued to climb — literally and figuratively — and eventually became general manager at Central Rock’s Hadley location.

Climbers prepare to scale the high walls at Central Rock Gym.

Climbers prepare to scale the high walls at Central Rock Gym.

As noted earlier, Skirkey is not the only college student drawn to the gym’s facilities. Students from the Five Colleges — UMass Amherst, Smith College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and Mount Holyoke College — and many more schools in the Western Mass. area visit CRG to climb. Skirkey said she also sees students from Springfield College visiting the facility.

She noted that people who enjoy outdoor climbing come to CRG to train indoors on days and seasons when outdoor climbing is not feasible because the rocks get wet, or it’s just too cold outside.

“We’re between two and three-ish hours from other, bigger destinations, and then we also have a bunch of local crags people can go out to,” she explained.

CRG upgraded its Hadley location in December 2017. The original 12,400-square-foot facility was expanded to 26,000 square feet. This expansion added 8,000 square feet of climbing surface, 200 linear feet of new bouldering walls, and 24 top-rope stations on a new climbing-wall product. An additional 80 parking spaces were also created. The project expanded the fitness room to 2,100 square feet and nearly tripled the size of the yoga room, extending it to 900 square feet.

CRG holds daily fitness and yoga classes, Skirkey explained, adding that the expansion has brought a new level of service to the membership and guests they bring — and helped increase the ranks of both.

“We just felt like we were in this bubble that we needed to help grow,” she said. “People love bringing their friends here; it’s really nice to be able to accommodate that just a little bit better now.”

When planning the expansion, CRG looked at the busiest areas of the gym, as well as what needed to be improved in terms of spacing. Bouldering is a popular climbing activity that needs a quicker turnover rate, said Skirkey. There are several other types of climbing that a person at any skill level can do when visiting CRG.

Ascending Order

Skirkey described CRG as a very welcoming and community-oriented company, and noted that one of the most common things she hears in reviews is how friendly the staff is. No matter what age or skill level, anyone who walks through the doors is welcomed with open arms.

“It’s really easy to get into it and feel welcomed,” said Skirkey. “I don’t think you get that with most gyms.”

This welcoming effect has contributed to the growth of membership and the wide diversity within it, she noted, adding that the gym’s youngest climbing club ranges from ages 3 to 6 years old. Skirkey also noted that families often come in to enjoy climbing together, a much different family activity than most experiences.

Aside from the standard membership, which costs $85 a month, CRG also has a family plan for these families who love climbing together. The membership includes two people who are engaged or married, or two parents and their dependent children, for $125 a month. Those who want to add additional family members can do so for $30 a month.

Skirkey believes that climbing can help family members bond with each other.

“It’s nice for parents, too, because they can do something active with their kids,” she noted. “Especially for young kids, it’s critical to get into something that makes them feel strong. I think that’s really important for development.”

Climbers have two main options at CRG: bouldering and what’s known as top roping. Bouldering is climbing that a person can undertake after a brief orientation given by a staff member. This specific type of climbing is a free climb on a wall about 15 feet tall.

A renovation completed last year added 8,000 square feet of climbing surface

A renovation completed last year added 8,000 square feet of climbing surface to Central Rock Gym’s Hadley facility.

The other climb, top roping, is highly recommended for those who are new to the sport. Here, the climber is tied onto one end of the rope, and a supporting climber, known as a belayer, is connected to the other side, making sure the rope stays tight so the climber does not fall.

In order to start top roping at CRG, climbers must take a one-hour introductory class to learn how to belay properly. If a person is not interested in learning how to belay, they can schedule a staff belay in which the staff member belays while the customer climbs. In order to belay, a climber must be 13 years or older.

The intro belay class is $20 per person but free for members, and typically lasts between an hour and 90 minutes. During this class, the climber will learn knots, the belay process, and safety procedures practiced at CRG. The staff belay costs $30 an hour per climber. Both the intro belay class and the staff belay require reservations and are only offered at certain times during the week.

“I would say that roped climbing is a bit more beginner-friendly than bouldering is,” said Skirkey. “You’ve got a staff person when you do staff belay, and you’ve got a rope to catch you when you fall. The way that bouldering is … the type of movements are usually a bit more power-oriented.”

There are, of course, varying skill levels of climbing, and some people coming in are going to be far more advanced than others. CRG offers many options for beginners to help them adjust and start their climbing journey, and also has state-of-the-art facilities for more advanced climbers. Aside from the intro and staff belay classes, customers can also schedule a private lesson with a staff member to help them learn the ins and outs of climbing one-on-one. In the “Technique 101” class, climbers who are interested in learning some basic tips can sign up to improve their climbing skills.

Members ages 6 to 18 at Central Rock Gym may also form both competitive and non-competitive climbing teams to help gear up for competitions, or just for fun. In the past, CRG has sent several members to the Nationals run by USA Climbing. Skirkey says members have done exceptionally well at these competitions, and have even placed in third and sixth place. This year, the gym has six kids going to Nationals.

CRG offers plenty of options for climbers of different skill levels. The gym also offers day passes and discounted memberships for climbers 22 and under or 65 and older, and active military members.

Another characteristic that helps CRG stand out from other climbing gyms is the cleanliness and openness of the building itself, Skirkey said. Climbers will use chalk on their hands to help their grip as they climb the walls, and things can get dirty quickly.

“We dedicate a lot of our time to cleaning and making sure the facility has clean air to breathe and nice lighting,” she said. “A lot of climbing gyms can feel like dungeons.”

But not Central Rock Gym. Each facility, including the one in Hadley, has large glass windows that let in plenty of natural light, making the experience for climbers even more enjoyable.

She noted that CRG even connects people who do different outdoor activities. Sometimes, people who enjoy mountain biking or hiking will come in wanting to try climbing, and end up expanding their circle of friends. CRG is definitely a place that attracts the outdoorsy type, she added.

Due to the rising popularity, Skirkey recommends making a reservation, especially if a person lives far away from the gym.

Reaching New Heights

Summing up the many rewards offered by climbing, Skirkey said that, for those dedicated to this sport, it’s not all about getting to the top, although that’s a big part of it.

It’s also about the journey. Indeed, figuring out how to make your way to the top, step by step, is the best part, she told BusinessWest.

“I love it because it’s fun to try to figure out how to finish a climb and challenge yourself both mentally and physically,” she added.

From her perspective, those twin challenges go a long way toward explaining the growing popularity of climbing and the upward trajectory of CRG and especially its Hadley location.

And the best part is, they can both go much higher still.

Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Moe Belliveau says there’s strength in numbers

Moe Belliveau says there’s strength in numbers, and in collaboration, when it comes to promoting a city and its region.

As executive director of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, Moe Belliveau has a good view of what has become one of the region’s more unique and energetic small cities.

“There’s a lot of great stuff here, different stuff,” she told BusinessWest. “I think Easthampton has a very eclectic flavor to it, and that just continues to grow. I believe the community really enjoys that about itself and embraces that part of themselves, and helps to nurture that. It’s lovely to be a part of that.”

From its well-established arts culture to its rehabilitated mill complexes to its walkable, dog-friendly downtown, she said Easthampton is, quite simply, a place residents and businesses are happy to call home. “We even have a pond in the middle of our city — who else has that?”

It’s also a community where a raft of businesses have launched recently — many of them catering to leisure time and quality of life, like arts establishment #LOCAL Gallery; restaurants like Daily Operation, a casual eatery, and Kisara, a Japanese and Korean barbecue; and additions to Eastworks like Prodigy Minigolf and Gameroom, the Coffee Mill, and Puzzled Escape Games.

“I like to say that Easthampton’s hip, cool, wow, and now — as is its chamber,” said Belliveau, who arrived to lead the body four years ago after a stint with the Westfield Business Improvement District. Since then, she has been leading a shift from simply organizing events to a more holistic, collaborative approach that brings value to chamber members and creates more vibrancy in the town’s business community.

In short, the chamber has become not only more member- and community-focused, through events like ‘listening lunches’ with area businesses, but also more collaborative with other area communities and their chambers.

“We’ve continued with our listening-lunch program because it’s a good opportunity for us to hear not only what people like, but what people are perhaps yearning for in their chamber, and how we might be able to do things differently — or even to be made aware of things we might not know about. It’s helpful.”

One development from those sessions was the chamber’s universal gift card, which is redeemable at dozens of area businesses. “The chamber gift card was a direct development from that collaboration, and that continues to grow; it’s really popular,” Belliveau said. “I’m very excited and very proud of that.”

It’s one way Easthampton’s is creating energy and buzz in its growing business community — and it’s far from the only way.

Regional Approach

Take, for example, a new partnership with the Amherst Area and Greater Northampton chambers, called the Hampshire Regional Tourism Council. Among its first accomplishments was the publication last September of the first Hampshire County Tourism Guide, a colorful, comprehensive compendium of the three communities’ restaurants and hospitality businesses, tourist attractions, recreational opportunties, shopping and wellness options, and more.

“I’m really very proud of this; I don’t know how many tourism guides actually have this look and feel,” Belliveau said. “As Easthampton continues to grow into — or already is — a destination city, it’s a really great tool that highlights who we are, what we do, and why we do it.”

The concept behind the three-city collaboration is that Easthampton, Northampton, and Amherst are all known for arts and culture, food, and a generally eclectic mix of businesses that both serve residents and draw tourists — but they’re different from each other in many ways, too, and by promoting themselves as one mini-region, the hope is that all will benefit.

Easthampton at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1785
Population: 16,059
Area: 13.6 square miles
County: Hampshire
Residential Tax Rate: $16.00
Commercial Tax Rate: $16.00
Median Household Income: $45,185
Median Family Income: $54,312
Type of government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Berry Plastics Corp., Williston Northampton School; National Nonwovens Co.
*Latest information available

“Don’t we all have our own flavor?” she asked rhetorically. “Yet, we add to each other’s energy and strengths, and we work quite well together. We enjoy partnering, and we do it quite often during the year. We’re looking to publish our second edition this coming September, so we’re currently pulling that together.”

Such collaborations, Belliveau said, have always been important to her. “I feel like we all have our own voice and our own character and identity, but I think when we come together, we add value for our members, and there’s strength in numbers.”

Another example is “The Art of Risk,” a women’s leadership conference the Greater Easthampton Chamber presented last fall in collaboration with the Greater Holyoke Chamber. It featured keynote speaker Angela Lussier, founder of the Speaker Sisterhood, a business devoted to helping women find their voice.

“That event was a sold-out success, so we’re looking to do that again,” Belliveau said, referring to the second annual conference, slated for Sept. 28 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, featuring keynoter Valerie Young, an author and public speaker who’s also an expert on the impostor syndrome, a common psychological pattern that breeds doubt and fear in potential leaders, and keeps them from realizing their potential.

The event will also feature morning breakout sessions in “The Art of Self-promotion,” “The Art of Leadership,” “The Art of Balance,” and “The Art of Storytelling,” followed by an afternoon panel featuring local women sharing personal stories of personal or professional risk.

Other workshops organized by the chamber, both alone and in collaboration with other groups, have convinced Belliveau there’s an appetite for such outreaches, especially those that are interactive in design.

“It’s really helped me to see what kinds of information the business community finds helpful. It’s not just sitting all day listening, but adding tools to their toolbox,” she told BusinessWest.

“I like to say it’s not your grandfather’s chamber anymore,” she went on. “What’s really very exciting to me, in addition to these events, is the relationship that we’ve been able to foster and nurture with the city. We value them, and they value us as contributing partners to the economic-development team. So that’s been pretty exciting.”

Art of the Matter

Even the city’s cultural events reflect this desire for collaboration. For example, #LOCAL Gallery will open a new exhibit on July 14. The 12 artists displaying their works in “An Excursion in Color,” organized and curated with the help of color consultant Amy Woolf, will be joined by Prindle Music School owner Dan Prindle and musical guests to provide entertainment. Meanwhile, flowers from Passalongs Farm & Florist will add more aesthetic appeal to the event.

“There’s a lot of great partnerships, a lot of great collaborations going on,” Belliveau said. “A lot of nonprofits like to collaborate and work together, from the schools to the arts community. I really enjoy being a part of that.”

The city also continues see a continued reuse of old mill buildings — as one example, Erin Witmer opened the Boylston Rooms, a quirky meeting and event space, in the Keystone building on Pleasant Street last year. Meanwhile, Easthampton’s three breweries — Fort Hill, Abandoned Building, and New City — continue to grow, while Valley Paddler, launched last year, has been a success offering paddleboats for use on Nashawannuck Pond.

An eclectic mix? For sure. Bealliveau says Easthampton is a community that continues to attract residents and businesses to its navigability, the services offered by a wide range of small businesses, its focus on the arts as an economic driver, and much more. And she plans to continue bringing as many of those entities together as she can.

“Nobody needs to be out in front, if that makes any sense,” she told BusinessWest. “We’re all running in the same race. Actually, it’s not even a race. The goal is the same, and we all have our different perspectives on that, which just makes the endgame all the richer. And I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced that before. It’s exciting.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Banking and Financial Services

Take Caution with Section 199A

By Kristina Drzal Houghton, CPA, MST

Kristina Drzal Houghton

Kristina Drzal Houghton

On Dec. 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law, bringing the biggest changes to both corporations and individuals in the past 30 years. Having spoken before groups of medical professionals on this issue, I have found that many believe limitations in the law will prohibit physicians from benefiting from these tax reductions.

This article will focus on medical practices and highlight some techniques available to benefit from the 20% deduction which might otherwise be limited. Additionally, there will be detailed examples of said techniques that will help to provide perspective and clarity to practice owners and shareholders on this very complicated tax issue.

Over the past few decades, many practices have been formed as pass-through entities. In contrast to C-corporations, income earned by a sole proprietorship, S-corporation, or partnership is subject to only a single level of tax. There is generally no tax at the entity level; instead, owners of these businesses report their share of the business’ income directly on their tax return and pay the corresponding tax at ordinary rates.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law this past December, reduced the top rate on ordinary income of individuals from 39.6% to 37%, and Section 199A further reduced the effective top rate on qualified business income earned by owners of sole proprietorships, S-corporations, and partnerships to 29.6%. Section 199A allows taxpayers other than corporations a deduction of 20% of qualified business income (QBI) earned in a qualified trade or business, subject to certain limitations.

Business owners below the applicable threshold amount — which is $157,500 of taxable income for all filers except joint filers, and $315,000 for those filing jointly —— can enjoy a QBI deduction for the lesser of 20% of their qualified business income or 20% of their taxable income. It does not matter what type of business is generating the income, nor is there a need to analyze W-2 wages paid by the business or depreciable assets owned by the business. The QBI deduction is what it is.

Business owners over their applicable threshold who derive their income from a business that is not a specialized trade or service business may also have their QBI deduction at least partially phased out, but the full deduction may be ‘saved’ based on how much they pay in W-2 wages and/or how much depreciable property they have in the business.

Business owners over their applicable threshold who derive their income from a ‘specified service’ business — which includes doctors, lawyers, CPAs, financial advisors, athletes, musicians, and any business in which the principal asset of the business is the skill or reputation of one or more of its employees — will have their QBI deduction phased out.

The phaseout range is $50,000 for all filers except joint filers, and $100,000 for those filing jointly. Once a business owner’s taxable income exceeds the upper range of their phase-out threshold ($207,500 for individuals and $415,000 for married filing jointly), they cannot claim a QBI deduction for income generated from a specialized trade or service business.

Examine your practice to determine if all your income is from a specified trade or business. A careful analysis of your practice could identify that it consists of multiple different trades or businesses. For example, an orthopedic practice might sell medical equipment. Breaking this portion of the practice off into its own LLC will decrease the specified service trade or business income and could potentially qualify for a QBI deduction with proper planning.

Shifting Business-owned Real Estate to New Entities and Paying Rent

Many practices own the real estate out of which they operate. If this is the case for a higher-earning business owner, there is an obvious way of converting some of the specified service-business income into income from a business that may qualify for a QBI deduction. In short, the business owner can create a new entity, transfer the real estate into that entity — provided the transfer is not tax prohibitive — and then lease that real estate back to the original business.

The original business’s profits, which are not eligible for the QBI deduction (assuming the business owner’s taxable income exceeds their applicable threshold), will decrease, and profits can be shifted to the new real-estate company, which could potentially qualify for at least a partial QBI deduction.

Example: John is a dentist and is the sole owner of an oral-surgery practice organized as an LLC. His income from the practice — which falls under the specified service business umbrella — is $900,000 per year. Thus, John is currently ineligible for any QBI deduction. Several years ago, the LLC purchased the medical offices out of which the practice operates for $2 million. The upkeep on the office space, the depreciation on the property, and other expenses currently reduce the net profit of the LLC by about $100,000 per year, but the property provides little else in the way of tax benefit for John.

One option to consider in a case like this would be to spin off the medical office building into a separate LLC, or other business structure, and have the dental practice rent space in the building. Those rent payments would be deductible for the medical practice, and taxable income for the new business … except the profit in the new business may be eligible for the QBI deduction.

For instance, suppose that, after spinning the medical office off into its own entity, the dental practice leases the office space at the rate of $220,000 per year. The net result of such a transaction would be reducing the dental practice’s net income $120,000 ($220,000 rental expense minus $100,000 prior expenses ‘lost’ = $120,000). The real-estate entity, on the other hand, would now have a profit of $120,000 — a net shift of zero — but the real estate’s income could qualify for the QBI deduction. Thus, the result is an equivalent amount of business income, but a $24,000 QBI deduction for John on his personal return that, at his tax rate, would save him nearly $9,000 in federal income taxes annually.

Shifting Other Business-owned Assets to Other Entities and Leasing Them Back

For some business owners, there’s the potential to continue to push the boundary even further on shifting depreciable property out of a business, and then leasing it back to the original business entity.

Example: Continuing the earlier example of John and the dental practice above, suppose the practice also owns X-ray machines and a variety of other depreciable medical equipment as well, with an unadjusted basis of $750,000. This equipment could be spun off into yet another business, and the dental practice could lease back the equipment.

The mechanics and potential tax benefits of this move are essentially the same as when real estate is moved into a separate entity. When it comes to the QBI deduction, depreciable business property is depreciable business property. The 2.5% limitation is not impacted by the type of depreciable property or the length of time over which it will be depreciated.

Of course, the limitation to this strategy is that not all small businesses have substantial (or much, or any) depreciable property to spin off into other entities in the first place … and at some point, any and all depreciable property that could be spun off will have been. So that’s it, right? Maybe not.

If You Can’t Lease Equipment, Lease People with an Employee-leasing Company

Many specified service businesses are labor intensive but may not necessarily require a great deal of depreciable property. Anesthesia and radiology practices are both good examples of this. Outside of some office furniture and some computers, these businesses can generate substantial profits without ever owning any significant amount of depreciable property since they operate out of hospital-owned facilities. They do, however, often employ a great number of people, and spend substantial amounts on human capital.

To that end, the language in Section 199A leaves the door open to the possibility of creating an employee-leasing company and leasing back one’s employees from that company. Some practitioners believe this to be a gaping hole in the rules, while other practitioners are a little more cautious at this time. Even on the conservative side, the billing and administrative employees could defensibly be split off into a separate LLC if it can be demonstrated that it is not a specified trade or business because it is not dependent on the skill or reputation of one or more of its employees.

Notwithstanding the benefits of the above strategy, some caution is merited. Tax advisers are understandably eager for answers, but unfortunately, Section 199A is just one small piece of the most significant overhaul of the tax law in 31 years. The IRS is now charged with the herculean task of providing guidance for a host of new and changed statutory provisions, and, as a result, it may be some time before tax advisers have certainty related to some of the strategies posed in this article.

Until that guidance arrives, Section 199A will best be approached cautiously, particularly considering the potential substantial-understatement penalty that comes with claiming a deduction under this provision.

Kristina Drzal Houghton, CPA, MST is a partner with the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. and director of the firm’s Taxation Division; [email protected]

Nonprofit Management

Sustainable Concept

Patrick Callahan doesn’t know exactly where the image originated.

It was a Facebook post about a community overseas that had set up a refrigerator on the side of a street to provide the homeless with leftovers offered by the local community.

“I think it was in India, but I really can’t be sure,” said Callahan, adding quickly that the exact location wasn’t and isn’t really important. What is important is the concept and the proactive, imaginative response to the needs of the homeless.

And what’s more important still is the way it inspired him to not only ask what could be done in this region — a thought experiment, as he called it — but to help answer that question.

“I thought to myself, we should be doing something like that refrigerator,” said Callahan, a member of the emerging third generation involved with Palmer Paving Corp., who approached the principals there, including his aunt, Jan, about leveraging the company’s many relationships within the communities it serves and building upon its long history of giving back to address obvious needs.

That ‘something’ is an emerging and intriguing story called Nicebox, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 2016 to address the many needs of the homeless.

One of the original ideas — and it is still being talked about on many levels — was to install solar-powered vending machines in strategic locations that would, in exchange for a certain amount of recyclables, dispense a Nicebox, a pack filled with items the homeless can use. While discussions on machines continued, talk also focused on exactly what should go into these packs, said Pat Callahan, adding that, eventually, it was determined that several different kinds of packs are needed, including those filled with food, hygiene items, and healthcare needs.

And the newly created nonprofit set about creating some of these packs, starting with the one that has come to be called the Tidypack. It contains a host of hygiene products, including soap, shampoo, conditioner, a razor and shaving cream, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and more.

Working with the Friends of the Homeless, part of Clinical & Support Options (CSO), Nicebox has distributed more than 3,000 of these packs to date, said Pat Callahan, adding that the boxes are catching on, and so is that name, Tidypack, thanks to a true partnership with Friends of the Homeless.

“We’ve been working in close concert with them,” she explained. “Originally, we had an idea for the Tidypack — let’s give them these products. But then we took a step back and said, ‘let’s go in and see what they really need.’ So we sat down with the team at Friends of the Homeless and determined what they really needed.”

The packs can last an individual a week or more, said Jan, adding that the cost of filling one — thanks to wholesale purchases and discounts given to nonprofits — is roughly the same as that for a gourmet coffee, and this is the message Nicebox is spreading as it goes about enlisting support for its efforts.

“To help someone stay clean for a week only costs $2.50,” she noted. “When you think of an individual who’s struggling, you can help them for the same as it would cost to buy to a coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.”

Pat Callahan and his aunt, Jan, say customers and partners of Palmer Paving have supported Nicebox early on, and they want to see that support expand outward.

And the nonprofit has secured quite a bit of help, she went on, noting that while Nicebox does some fundraising — she recently conducted an appeal on Facebook — it has thus far mostly relied on the support of customers, vendors, and other partners of Palmer Paving.

“With the reach that Palmer Paving has, we’ve been sending out sort of ad hoc requests for donations within our group of friends and company friends, and they’ve been supportive of this,” she told BusinessWest.

And support is needed as the nonprofit looks to not only expand the presence of the Tidypack, but also move forward with another type of assistance package — the Healthpack.

Indeed, Nicebox is collaborating with Mercy Medical Center, which already has a strong track record for work with the homeless in and around Springfield, to introduce the packs this summer.

They will include such items as a clean pair of socks, Band-Aids, ointment, a sewing kit, and other items, said Pat Callahan, and will be distributed by the medical center to those who, for whatever reason, will not come to a homeless shelter.

Moving forward, Pat and Jan noted that those involved with Nicebox have been working diligently over the past two years to track their progress and results, with the goal of using the accumulated data to apply for grants from foundations and other entities so the nonprofit doesn’t have to rely on donations and can expand its efforts geographically and through initiatives that might include a Nicebox on wheels that can distribute packs to a wider area.

Mercy Medical Center is part of the national Trinity Health system, noted Pat Callahan, adding that this affiliation may become a vehicle for taking the Healthpacks regional and perhaps national. Already, the nonprofit has become involved with some initatives in the Hartford area.

Meanwhile, Nicebox is also taking steps to increase its visibility through a number of initiatives, including booths at events like the upcoming Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival and others like it.

Overall, Nicebox is focused on putting its mission on a rock-solid foundation and continually building — those sound like phrases that would be heard at Palmer Paving — on a concept grounded in meeting need.

Like Patrick Callahan said, he’s not sure where that Facebook post of the refrigerator on the side of the road originated from. What matters is that he saw it, he was inspired by it, and he’s working with others to find similarly unique ways to help those who need some.

— George O’Brien

Opinion

Editorial

As you read this, the countdown clock at MGM Springfield is inside 50 days.

Which means that, in essence, the nearly $1 billion project that has dominated the local landscape, literally and figuratively, for the better part of seven years, is essentially done. Just as Union Station is done and the massive I-91 reconstruction project is done.

And soon, there will be a number of other initiatives in the proverbial ‘done’ pile, including Stearns Square, the innovation center, Riverfront Park, an extensive renovation of the Basketball Hall of Fame, and others, with the acknowledgement that ‘soon’ is a relative term.

That’s a lot of things to get done, and the city should be proud of all that has been accomplished and how the landscape has been dramatically altered for the better — much better.

The question of ‘what now?’ has been tossed around for a while now, and while such talk might be a little premature — after all, it will take some time for MGM Springfield, Union Station, and other initiatives to really be done and have those facilities fully assimilated — but in most ways, it isn’t.

There are certainly things the city has to do to as part of that assimilation process and as part of building off the momentum that’s been generated. That list includes everything from creation of new market-rate housing in the downtown to a remaking of Tower Square into something much more vibrant and relevant, to some aggressive marketing of the city and its comeback story.

And in some ways, work on all those initiatives is already underway.

But Springfield has another big and important challenge facing it, and that is to revitalize many of its proud neighborhoods — to take the progress beyond downtown, if you will.

This is, in many ways, more difficult than any of the projects undertaken thus far, and that’s with the acknowledgement that it took 40 years or more to revitalize Union Station and for the largest development project in the city’s history (MGM) to revitalize the South End.

That’s because rejuvenating neighborhoods like Old Hill, Mason Square, the North End, and the South End are difficult undertakings, especially in these changing times and continued rough going for most old manufacturing centers, like Springfield.

There has been some progress made, though the efforts of local, state, and national initiatives and the of work nonprofit agencies ranging from DevelopSpringfield to Wayfinders, from Revitalize CDC to ROCA. But many of Springfield’s neighborhoods still rank among the poorest in the state, and progress has come very, very slowly.

This isn’t exactly a news flash, but Springfield’s neighborhoods are truly the city’s next big challenge. If this community is to make a real comeback, the good news has to extend beyond Main and State streets.

For the comeback to spread to those neighborhoods, there must be opportunites — or more opportunities, as the case may be — for employment, home ownership, and new-business development. As we said, there has already been some progress made on these fronts, but more extensive efforts are required in order to keep these neighborhoods from being left behind.

A few paragraphs ago, we referred to Springfield’s proud neighborhoods. You almost always see that adjective used in that context, and for a reason. Residents of these areas are proud of their neighborhood, although in many cases, they’re proud of what they once were, not what they are now.

Creating far greater use of the present tense when it comes to these neighborhoods and ‘good times’ is clearly the next big challenge for Springfield.

Opinion

Editorial

Sports all-star games have been enduring somewhat of a public-relations crisis in recent years.

Indeed, the NFL’s game, now played the week before the Super Bowl, has become almost a farce, with players opting not to play, fans opting not to show up, and viewers opting not to tune in. The NHL and NBA games, meanwhile, have become circus shows where no one plays defense, and in the latter case, the game is actually upstaged by the slam-dunk contest the night before. Major League Baseball still has the best game, but that league, too, has struggled to make the so-called midsummer classic captivating and relevant, especially to younger audiences.

No, it’s not the best of times for these games.

But the narrative is a little different with the American Hockey League and its decision to play next year’s game in Springfield. Here, the story isn’t about the game, the gimmicks, or the weekend’s supply of festivities that may or may not work.

Instead, it’s about what the game means to the city and its hockey team, and what it symbolizes in terms of what comes next. All of that came together late last month when the logos for the event and the official corporate partner, Lexus, were unveiled.

Don’t forget, 27 months or so ago, this city didn’t even have a hockey team. And when a group of area business people came together, bought a franchise, and brought it to Springfield, there were many who doubted whether this franchise would fare any better than the one that just departed for Arizona.

To say those doubts have been dispelled would be a huge understatement. The team has become one of the best business stories of the past few years, and BusinessWest chose the team’s owners and managers, collectively, as its Top Entrepreneurs for 2017.

But the AHL All-Star Game coming to the City of Homes next February is not just about the Thunderbirds and the remarkable work done by President Nathan Costa 2018 40 Under Forty’s top honoree to revitalize hockey in Springfield and make the team part of the fabric of the community.

It’s also about the city’s resurgence and the arrival of MGM and its $950 million casino, MGM Springfield, which will serve as presenting sponsor of the all-star game. MGM now manages the MassMutual Center, and it no doubt played a prominent role in effectively bringing Springfield into the discussion when it comes events like this All-Star Game.

To say that it wasn’t in those discussions for the past decade and more would be another understatement. It is now, because of its resurgence, the team’s incredible surge, and MGM’s ability to help put on a good show.

And this combination bodes extremely well for the city moving forward. The game came to Springfield as a result of effective partnerships and strong teamwork, and these potent forces can bring more shows and meetings and conventions to this city and this region.

As we said at the top, all-star games have suffered some bad press and some tough times lately. In many respects, the games are no longer a big deal.

This is a notable exception, and one the city should be proud of.

Picture This

A photo essay of recent business events in Western Massachusetts
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]

PWC New Members Gathering

The Professional Women’s Chamber of Western MA, an affiliate of the Springfield Regional Chamber, hosted its first annual new-member event on June 28 at Glendale Ridge Vineyard in Southampton. This event brought together professional women from all specialties and backgrounds to network and learn more about the benefits of becoming a member of the Professional Women’s Chamber. Attendees also had the opportunity to sample wines and learn more about the vineyard from host Mary Hamel, co-owner of the Vineyard.

From left: Kate Vishnyakov of Kate Gray Boutique, Jenny MacKay of the Gaudreau Group, and Madeline Landrau from MassMutual Financial Group


From left: Diane Cordeiro of Louis & Clark Drug, Gillian Palmer of Eastern States Exposition, Jeannie Filomeno of Marcotte Ford, Caron LaCour of Burkhart, Pizzanelli, P.C., Margaret Perry of Wilson’s Department Store, Kathleen Plante of BusinessWest, Landreau, and Rachel Duda of Louis & Clark Drug

Cutting the Ribbon

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Paul Picknelly, president of Monarch Enterprises, and Jeff Lomma, member services director of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce joined members of the United Bank team for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bank’s new location at Monarch Place in downtown Springfield on June 28. Earlier this year, the bank moved its branch from 115 State St. into the first floor of One Monarch Place. June 28 marked the ceremonial opening of the new branch location.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Paul Picknelly, president of Monarch Enterprises, and Jeff Lomma, member services director of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce (left to right at center)

All-Star Unveilings

On June 28, the American Hockey League and the Springfield Thunderbirds announced that Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. will serve as the title corporate partner for the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield, which will take place on Jan. 27-28, 2019 at the MassMutual Center. Balise Lexus of West Springfield was an integral part of the partnership for the AHL All-Star Classic, in addition to being a Springfield Thunderbirds corporate sponsor. “Balise is proud to partner with Lexus, the Springfield Thunderbirds, and the AHL in this endeavor to make the city we call home a destination, for both entertainment and community,” said Jeb Balise, owner and CEO of Balise Motor Sales, at the announcement. “As an integral part of the city of Springfield since 1919, we are committed to its continuing growth and revitalization.”

Officials from the team, the AHL, and Balise Lexus pose behind the official All-Star logos


Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa addresses the gathering

Pilgrimage Tour

Two students from Elms College spent a week in France last month, practicing their French, learning about French history and culture, and — perhaps most importantly — making personal connections with the legacy of the college’s founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph. The week of June 16-23, Jane Dugan of Southwick and Monica Karriem of West Hartford, Conn. joined a pilgrimage to Le Puy, France, led by the Assoc. of Colleges of Sisters of St. Joseph (ACSSJ), of which Elms College is one of nine members. The group was led by Sr. Kitty Hanley and Sr. Joan Lescinski, along with Martha Malinski, executive director of the ACSSJ, and campus ministry representatives from some of the colleges.

Jane Dugan of Southwick (at right) and Monica Karriem


Dugan (left) and Karriem pose beside the statue of Mother St. John Fontbonne at the Sisters of St. Joseph Heritage Rooms in Lyon, France.

Supporting Square One

For the second consecutive year, customers of Pride Stores and store management are showing support for Square One in a very big way. Pride recently staged a campaign where customers were encouraged to purchase a Square One ‘square’ for $1 at all Pride locations. Pride owner Bob Bolduc, one of BusinessWest’s Difference Makers for 2018, agreed to match all the donations, in support of the children and families served by Square One. On July 3, surrounded by Square One preschoolers, Bolduc, along with his team, presented a check for $13,000 to the agency at its location at 255 King St. in Springfield.

Pride employees play games with some of the children


From left, Joan Kagan, president and CEO of Square One; Marsha DelMonte and Kyara Wiggins of Pride Stores; and Kristine Allard, Square One


Bolduc meets with one of the young students.

Court Dockets

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Zenaida Rivera v. Wakefern Food Corp. d/b/a Shop Rite d/b/a Price Rite
Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $6,988
Filed: 6/8/18

HAMPDEN DISTRICT COURT

Frank Scott v. Gregory Curtis and Good Brothers Business Inc.
Allegation: Motor-vehicle negligence causing personal injury: $24,000
Filed: 6/7/18

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Beverly Rigler, personal representative of the estate of Mildred Dombrowski v. 61 Cooper Street Operations, LLC d/b/a Heritage Hall West; Genesis Healthcare, LLC; Genesis HealthCare Inc.; Genesis HealthCare Corp.; and Victoria Peters, D.O.
Allegation: Wrongful death: $1,000,000+
Filed: 5/30/18

Gary Lonczak v. Agilent Technologies Inc.
Allegation: Breach of employment contract: $100,000
Filed: 5/31/18

Edward Ballis, M.D. v. Baystate Noble Hospital Corp., Baystate Health, and Barry Sarvet, M.D.
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $350,000+
Filed: 5/31/18

Sara E. Martineau as personal representative of the estate of Laurie Jean Martineau-Gemelli v. Mary Norris, M.D.; Saba Kohkar, M.D.; and Holyoke Medical Center Inc.
Allegation: Medical malpractice, wrongful death: $32,595.36+
Filed: 6/5/18

Hedge Hog Industries Corp. v. KDC Construction Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract, negligence: $30,000
Filed: 6/6/18

Michael McNierney v. John F. Phillips d/b/a Jobbers Auto Electric
Allegation: Negligence; dog bite causing personal injury: $86,962.27
Filed: 6/7/18

Marcy Martin v. Yuri Cleaning Service, LLC
Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $165,000
Filed: 6/12/18

HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COURT

Peter Tear v. OCPS Inc.
Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $13,070
Filed: 6/11/18

Jennifer Polins d/b/a the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought v. Chamisa Corp.
Allegation: Breach of commercial lease: $24,000
Filed: 6/19/18

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Luis A. Gomez v. Shield Packaging Co. Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $1,000,000
Filed: 6/1/18

Agenda

Financial-literacy Workshops

July 11 to Aug. 1: Springfield Partners for Community Action Inc. will host financial-literacy workshops starting Wednesday, July 11 and continuing every Wednesday through Aug. 1. Sessions run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 721 State St., Springfield, and are free and open to the public. Workshops are facilitated by the agency’s on-staff, nationally certified credit counselors. Series learning objectives include budgeting, credit, managing money, and debt. Participants completing the course will be presented with certificates of achievement, documenting an additional skill to enhance participants’ résumés or include in their personnel files on the job. Refreshments will be served, and raffle prizes will be offered. Call Springfield Partners at (413) 263-6500 to register.

‘Trauma-sensitive Schools’

July 11-13: The Education Division at Elms College will host a three-day conference in July to give educators tools for working with students who have been affected by trauma. The conference, titled “Trauma-sensitive Schools: Meeting the Needs of Traumatized Students and Their Teachers,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day on the Elms College campus. This comprehensive, trauma-informed conference is designed for pre-K-to-12 school administrators, teachers, counselors, school nurses, and paraprofessionals. District and school teams are strongly encouraged to attend. The summit will provide educators with the knowledge, understanding, and tools to create a successful trauma-informed learning environment, whether in a single classroom, a whole school, or an entire district. The cost for an individual to attend is $250; for district/school teams of three or more, the cost is $200 per person. The registration deadline is June 13. To register, e-mail [email protected].

Brightside Golf Classic

July 23: More than 200 golfers are expected to participate in the 38th Annual Brightside Golf Classic at Springfield Country Club in West Springfield. Two tee times are available. Registration and breakfast for the morning session will begin at 6:45 a.m. with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. Lunch and registration for the afternoon session will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. The evening reception will be held immediately following the tournament from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Prices include green fees, golf cart, breakfast and/or lunch, a gift and swag bag, and reception featuring cocktails, food stations, auction, networking, and live entertainment. On-course food and beverages will be provided by event sponsors throughout the day. Golfers will also be eligible for a chance to win prizes and participate in raffles. The 2018 Golf Classic chairs are John Kendzierski, founder and director, Professional Dry Wall Construction Inc.; Matt Sosik, president and CEO, Easthampton Savings Bank; Hank Downey, vice president, commercial loan officer, Florence Savings Bank; and Dan Moriarty, senior vice president, chief financial officer, Monson Savings Bank. For more information on sponsorships, donations, and attending the event, contact Suzanne Boniface at (413) 748-9935 or [email protected]. Information is also available at www.mercycares.com/brightside-golf-classic.

Future Tense Lecture

Sept. 20: The second installment of the BusinessWest lecture series Future Tense, titled “Change Considerations: An Examination of Lean Process, Market Disruption, and the Future of Your Business,” will take place on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Tech Foundry, 1391 Main St., ninth floor, Springfield. The lecture, open exclusively to CEOs and business owners, will be delivered by Mark Borsari, president of Sanderson MacLeod. The cost is a $25 donation to Tech Foundry. Event sponsors include Paragus IT, the Jamrog Group, and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. With increasingly automated business processes, AI, and machine manufacturing, lean concepts are becoming more important than ever in terms of staying competitive.  Borsari will discuss change and innovation through lean concepts and focus on resulting cultural considerations. The presentation will also address already-active market disrupters that will affect business processes in various industries. Metered street parking is available near the venue, and there are several parking-garage options nearby as well. To register, visit businesswest.com/lecture-series.

Healthcare Heroes

Oct. 25: The second annual class of Healthcare Heroes will be honored at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden. Healthcare Heroes, a recognition program involving the Western Mass. healthcare sector, was launched last spring by HCN and BusinessWest. The program was created to shed a bright light on the outstanding work being done across the broad spectrum of health and wellness services, and the institutions and people providing that care. Individuals and organizations were nominated in categories including ‘Lifetime Achievement,’ ‘Emerging Leader,’ ‘Patient/Resident/Client Care Provider,’ ‘Innovation in Health/Wellness,’ ‘Health/Wellness Administrator,’ and ‘Collaboration in Healthcare.’ They will be profiled in both magazines in September and feted at the Oct. 25 gala. Healthcare Heroes sponsors include American International College (presenting sponsor), National Grid (partner), Renew.Calm (supporting sponsor), and the Elms College MBA program (supporting sponsor).

Chamber Corners

1BERKSHIRE
www.1berkshire.com
(413) 499-1600

• July 18: 1Berkshire Chamber Nite, 5-7 p.m., hosted by NBT Bank on North Street.

• July 22: BYP Summer Social, 1:30-7:30 p.m. Begin with a catered lunch at Tanglewood with the Boston Young Professionals and end the evening with a cocktail reception at Berkshire Botanical Gardens.

• July 31: Entrepreneurial Meet-up, hosted by Shire Breu Hous, Dalton.

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

• July 30: 15th Annual Golf Tournament, hosted by Orchards Golf Club, South Hadley. Schedule: 10:30 a.m.: registration, putting contest, and light lunch; noon: shotgun start, scramble format; 5 p.m.: social hour and cash bar; 6 p.m.: dinner and awards ceremony. Hole-in-one, longest-drive, and closest-to-pin contests. Cost: $150 per player, $600 for a foursome. To register, visit www.amherstarea.com/events/details/2018-golf-tournament-19060.

• Aug. 30: Candidate Debate, 7 p.m., hosted by Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium. A pre-primary debate for candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for state representative (Third Hampshire) and state senator (Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester).

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

Aug. 16: European Café & Open House, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Chicopee Chamber of Commerce & Courtyard, 264 Exchange St., Chicopee. Come enjoy a taste of the European flavors of the local restaurants, all in a relaxed setting with the musical stylings of Sergio D’Orsini. Meet and greet the local artists and tour the Chamber of Commerce and engage with many small business owners, including MaryKay, Herbarium, Lemon Grass Fitness, and TrueHeart Wellness, to name a few. Presented in partnership with Westfield Bank. Cost: $25 for one attendee, $40 for two attendees (must be purchased at the same time). Sign up online at www.chicopeechamber.org/events or call (413) 594-2101.

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

• July 9: Grow with Google, hosted by MassMutual Center, Springfield. Grow with Google is an initiative to help small businesses, startups, job seekers, developers, and teachers improve the skills they need to prepare for a job, find a job, or grow their business. These free, live workshops include “Get Found on Google Search and Maps,” “E-mail, Spreadsheets, and Presentations,” “Reach Customers Online with Google,” “Get Started with Code,” “Using Data to Drive Growth,” and “Coding for Kids.” Join us for the whole day or a specific workshop. Greater Holyoke Chamber members receive first priority registration. To register, e-mail Jordan at [email protected].

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

• July 11: July Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Northampton Country Club, 135 Main St., Leeds. Cost: $10 for members.

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

• July 12: 41st Pancake Breakfast, 7-11 a.m., hosted by South Middle School, 30 West Silver St., Westfield. Rain or shine. Attractions include a bounce house, face painting, entertainment, a live broadcast from WSKB 89.5, and vendor tables. Sponsors to date include BusinessWest (pancake sponsor), Appalachian Press (placemat sponsor), Puffer Printing (ticket sponsor), and Dunkin’ Donuts (coffee sponsor). Cost: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for kids under 10. For additional sponsorships or tickets, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618 or visit www.westfieldbiz.org.

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

• July 19: Golf Tournament, 11 a.m., hosted by Crestview Country Club, 281 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Cost: $600 per foursome, $150 per individual. Reservations may be made at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, [email protected], or (413) 755-1310.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• July 25: West Meets West at the Ranch Networking Event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by the Ranch Golf Club in Southwick. Join us as we pair up with the Greater Westfield Chamber for an evening of games, fun, networking, and food. These events bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Aug. 6: 15th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, hosted by the Ranch Golf Club in Southwick. Schedule: 11:30 a.m.: registration; noon: lunch; 1 p.m.: shotgun start, scramble format. Putting contest, 15th hole air cannon, Carrabba’s Cuisine Hole, and more. Cost: $125 for golf and dinner. For more information and tickets to this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected], or register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Aug. 16: Free Membership Appreciation Luncheon, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Riverdale Street, West Springfield. Lunch is on us! Members can register for this networking event and bring a non-member guest, and you both enjoy a free lunch. Seating is limited, so register at www.westoftheriverchamber.com before it’s too late. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880.

People on the Move

Local news hires, promotions, awards, and appointments

Joanne Beauregard

Joanne Beauregard

The O’Connell Companies announced the promotion of Joanne Beauregard to financial vice president. Beauregard fills the position vacated by Martin Schoenemann, who retired this spring after 38 years at O’Connell’s. As financial VP, she is responsible for management of the financial, accounting, and tax matters of the company’s real estate, construction, property-management, and biosolids businesses. She moves to this position after 34 years of successive positions of increased responsibility and leadership, most recently as controller for O’Connell Development Group. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western New England College. Beauregard is currently a board member of Providence Ministries Service Network and previously served as the chair of the board of the Sisters of Providence Health System. She also served as the treasurer of the Holyoke Children’s Museum. The O’Connell Companies is the parent company of O’Connell Development Group, New England Fertilizer Company, Appleton Corp., Western Builders, and Daniel O’Connell’s Sons.

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Jessica Dupont has been named the new president of the board of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts. Dupont, director of Risk Adjustment for Health New England, joined HNE in 2008 to help launch its Medicare Advantage plan. During her tenure there, she has held several roles within the organization and was promoted to her most recent position in February 2017. Dupont received a bachelor’a degree in sociology from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA with a concentration in healthcare leadership from Elms College in 2016. She is active in both the business and nonprofit communities in the area. In 2015, she began volunteering with Dress for Success Western Massachusetts and was later asked to become a member of the board of directors. In July 2017, she assumed the role of vice president of the board. That same year, she was profiled in BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty, earning the highest score among the 150-plus nominees. Dupont is also chairperson of the local Catholic Campaign for Human Development advisory board, a member of the Elms College MBA executive advisory council, and a member of the board of directors for Square One.

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Lew Rudolph

Lew Rudolph

Rev. Marisa Egerstrom

Rev. Marisa Egerstrom

Jeannie Filomeno

Marvin Gonzalez

Providence Ministries for the Needy Inc. recently announced four new board members: Lew Rudolph, the Rev. Marisa Egerstrom, Jeannie Filomeno, and Marvin Gonzalez. Rudolph is currently the director of Government and Foundation Grants and Contracts for Trinity Health in Springfield. His past experience includes roles as program director and psychotherapist for ServiceNet Inc. in Northampton, and president and CEO of Hampshire Community United Way. Egerstrom is currently the priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Holyoke. Her past experience includes serving as Christian education coordinator at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Boston, as a chaplain in hospital and street settings, and as a spiritual director for young adults. She is completing a Ph.D. in American studies at Harvard University. Filomeno currently serves as the Human Resource manager at her family-operated business, Marcotte Ford. With her family, she has dedicated years of support to Providence Ministries, including preparing and serving monthly at Kate’s Kitchen, organizing clothing, food, and school-supply drives distributed to the community through Margaret’s Pantry; and donating more than 100 holiday gifts and Easter baskets. Outside of working at Marcotte Ford, Jeannie serves on the board of the Professional Women’s Chamber. Gonzalez currently serves as an outreach specialist with Eliot Community Human Services. As part of his role, he performs daily street outreach in Holyoke and Chicopee. At Kate’s Kitchen, he not only greets guests and records vital daily census data, but also serves as an advisor and troubleshooter on topics including access and information related to housing, detox, mental health, and food support. He has dedicated more than 30 years to working in human services as an advocate for the most vulnerable.

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United Personnel announced the expansion of its Connecticut-based team. Nancy Scirocco Nesbitt has joined the company as its new vice president of Business Development for the Connecticut region, while Brandon Houston, United Personnel’s new director of Client Services, is leading the expansion of the firm’s Information Technology Division. Scirocco Nesbitt, most recently vice president for Government and Not-for-Profit Banking for Webster Bank, brings more than 20 years of management, client-support, and economic-development experience to her position with United. Past positions include vice president of at the Metro Hartford Alliance, adjunct professor at Central Connecticut State University, and contract administrator at Otis Elevator. She has an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut. She serves on the Governor’s Task Force for Abused Children and is a former board member of Internhere.com and the Special Olympics of Connecticut. Houston has more than 10 years of human-resources experience, with a specialty in recruiting and placing software engineers, developers, architects, project managers, infrastructure, and security personnel. He most recently worked as a senior account manager for Prestige Staffing in Atlanta. Other prior positions include recruitment management roles at Latitude Inc. and Maxim Healthcare. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee and is involved with the Metro Hartford Alliance and HYPE.

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Local author and business owner Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman is featured in the new book The Waiting Room: Invisible Voices of Lyme. The book is a compilation of 27 real-life stories released to help raise Lyme disease awareness, to encourage sufferers to keep fighting, and to help caregivers and doctors understand how to better support those with Lyme disease. Compiled by author Vickie Gould, the book outlines the struggles that sufferers go through on a daily basis, and aims to raise awareness and understanding of the disease. “It was difficult for me to write my story, and I was hesitant to release it for fear of what my family, friends, and colleagues would think — and, in fact, I had missed the deadline while contemplating my decision,” said Fischer Hoffmann, owner of the Clutter Doctor Inc. “But then I thought to myself, what if, by sharing my story, someone reading it got inspired to speak up and get help? Of course I would be happy with that.” The book is available for purchase on Amazon, and all profits will be donated to the Lyme documentary The Monster Inside Me.

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Rick Sawicki of Sawicki Real Estate in Amherst was named the 2018 Realtor of the Year by the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV). The announcement was made at the association’s annual awards dinner held on June 14 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Realtor of the Year is the highest honor given to a member of the association and is bestowed upon a single individual who demonstrated outstanding service and devotion to the 1,700-member organization during the past 17 months in the areas of association activity, community service, and business activity. A Realtor since 2005, Sawicki served as president of the association in
2017. He is currently the immediate past president and serves on the
building, executive, finance, government affairs, president’s award,
professional development, and strategic planning committees, as well as the
candidate endorsement work group. He has participated in the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors (MAR) annual Realtor Day on Beacon Hill and is a major investor in the Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC). He has been featured on the “Real Estate Minute” segment of WWLP’s Mass Appeal program. Sawicki has given back to the community through activity with the Rotary Club of Amherst and the Turners Falls High School logo task force and is a member of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. He is actively involved in state initiatives and activities such as MAR professional standards training and Realtor party training, along with being a MAR RPAC trustee. He is also a member of the National Assoc. of Realtors (NAR) public policy coordinating committee.

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Kathleen Sawtelle, a clinical and lab instructor in the Surgical Technology program at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), received the Clinical Educator of the Year Award during the Assoc. of Surgical Technologists 2018 conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on May 31. She was at the conference as a delegate for the organization. The award recognizes one clinical educator who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for students. Sawtelle received a $500 award, a trophy, and recognition at the annual conference. A 1976 graduate of STCC’s Surgical Technology program, Sawtelle has worked in the field for 42 years. She has been coordinator of clinical education for the program at STCC for the past three years, and has taught at the college for 11 years. She has worked as a certified surgical technologist at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for 28 years and on a per diem basis for 10 years. She previously received the designation of Fellow of the Assoc. of Surgical Technologists, which recognizes surgical technologists who have upheld the highest professional, ethical, and moral standards and traditions of the profession.

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Lamont Clemons, President of the Rotary Club of Springfield, recently presented Rotarians Jack Toner and Rick Lee with Rotary pins to acknowledge their donations to the Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Foundation supports clean-water projects, maternal and child health, education, and the promotion of peace throughout the world. Toner’s pin has one blue sapphire stone for his $2,000 to the foundation, and Lee’s has three sapphire stones for his $4,000 donation made over a period of time. “The global impact of the Rotary Foundation is extraordinary,” Toner said. “My small monthly gift pays itself forward over and over again. Each dollar given is multiplied through grants and various partnerships, mostly notably with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Rotary’s effort to eradicate polio worldwide. I feel privileged to wear a different lapel pin each day to represent the various and diverse ongoing activities Rotary initiatives are involved with around the globe.” Lee also feels strongly about the Rotary and its foundation. “When I served as club president in 2014, I became acutely aware of the important work done worldwide through the Rotary Foundation,” he said. “I am convinced that supporting these efforts should be job one for any Rotarian. For me, Rotary’s unique blend of local fellowship and service, coupled with its global reach, makes the experience truly special.”

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Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper announced the appointment of Kathleen Martin of to the position of executive director of the Capital Campaign and Campus Strategy. The appointment marks Martin’s return to Springfield College, where she received both her doctorate in physical education with a specialization in sport psychology and her master’s degree in physical education (athletics administration concentration). She also began her teaching career at Springfield College. Martin will be responsible for coordinating the overall strategic direction of the college’s capital campaign, strategic plan, and campus master plan. Through the development of strong collaborative relationships with the office of the president, the college’s senior leadership team, and key stakeholders, she will serve as the primary lead, strategist, and coordinator of strategic initiatives. Most recently, Martin served as vice provost and chief educational compliance officer and Title IX coordinator at Bay Path University. She also held the positions of director of Institutional Research and Special Projects, and assistant provost for Academic Affairs.

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The Center for Human Development (CHD) has named Ben Craft its vice president of Community Engagement.In the newly restructured position, Craft has been charged with deepening the nonprofit human services agency’s relationships in the communities it serves in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In the role, he will oversee strategic communications, marketing, and development, as well as community, government, and provider relations.Craft brings a strong background in communications, engagement, and advocacy to CHD, coupled with almost 10 years of experience in healthcare and public policy, at a critical point in CHD’s growth and development. “We are excited to have Ben join us at a time when CHD is not only expanding our network of human services into more communities, but also at a time when we are playing a critical and growing role in the new model of care management, and connecting people with complex needs to more preventive and supportive services,” said Jim Goodwin, president and CEO of CHD. Craft, who grew up in East Longmeadow, started his career in New York at the Wall Street Journal and worked at the United Nations as a communications officer before returning home to Western Mass. in 2008 to work for Baystate Health, most recently as senior director of Government and Public Affairs. He is a 1996 graduate of UMass Amherst.

Company Notebook

Florence Bank Breaks Ground on New Springfield Branch

SPRINGFIELD — Florence Bank broke ground recently on its second Hampden County branch, at 1444 Allen St. in Springfield, and leaders said the full-service location will open later this year. “We’re coming to Springfield,” John Heaps Jr., Florence Bank’s president and CEO, told a crowd of roughly 50 people who gathered for the celebratory event. “Our focus is on our customers and on helping to reinvigorate the community.” Last September, Florence Bank opened its first branch in Hampden County at 1010 Union St. in West Springfield. The Springfield branch marks the second of an anticipated four branches in the region. Like the West Springfield banking center, Heaps said, the Allen Street branch will have an open floor plan with a full-service teller pod and innovative technology for quick cash handling. The location will also feature a drive-up ATM with SMART technology for easy depositing and a comfortable waiting area inside with a coffee bar and free internet. Florence Bank has nearly 3,800 customers living in Hampden County, including 700 business customers.

People’s United Financial to Acquire First Connecticut Bancorp

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — People’s United Financial, Inc., the holding company for People’s United Bank N.A., announced an agreement to acquire First Connecticut Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Farmington Bank, in a 100% stock transaction valued at approximately $544 million. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and the approval of First Connecticut Bancorp shareholders. Established in 1851, Farmington Bank is a community bank with 28 branches throughout Central Conn. and Western Mass. With $3.1 billion in assets, the bank has built a strong balance sheet by focusing on commercial and retail banking. “People’s United Bank is a premier brand with a rich, 176-year history in the state of Connecticut,” said John Patrick, chairman, president, and CEO of Farmington Bank. “Our customers will benefit from their broader array of products, enhanced access to technology and digital capabilities, as well as the bank’s seven-day-a-week Stop & Shop branch locations.” The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors, First Connecticut Bancorp shareholders will receive 1.725 shares of People’s United Financial stock for each First Connecticut Bancorp share. The transaction is valued at $32.33 per First Connecticut Bancorp share.

State’s First Solar Cooperative to Be Built in Wendell

WENDELL — Northeast Solar, in cooperation with the Wendell Energy Committee, is offering residents of Wendell and surrounding communities the opportunity to become owners of the state’s first solar cooperative. The co-op will be owned by community members who become member-owners of the site by purchasing part of the community solar array. Owners will receive all of the solar benefits generated at the site, located at 97 Wendell Depot Road. Solar panels are typically mounted on rooftops, but close to 60% of residential buildings are not suitable sites for solar due to shading or roof condition. The solar cooperative will allow any resident to purchase solar power for their homes by buying into the centralized array.  Owners in this system will receive a lower purchase price than standard residential installations. The Wendell Solar Cooperative will return more than $1.3 million back into the local economy over the life of the array. The site is expected to take between six and eight weeks to build. The co-op will accept 50 members, but Northeast Solar is planning more solar cooperatives in other communities to allow more residents the chance to go solar.

Greenfield Cooperative Bank Announces 2018 Performance

GREENFIELD — Michael Tucker, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank and its parent company, Greenfield Bancorp, MHC, announced the operating results of the bank’s latest fiscal year as reported at the 113th annual meeting of the bank on June 19. Tucker reported that FY 2018, which ended March 31, was successful, with and the assets of the bank growing by $24.9 million (up 4.3%) over the prior year. In addition, GCB originated more than $124 million in loans of all types, and saw an increase of $28.4 million in deposits over the past year. Total equity grew to $67.4 million. The pre-tax operating income for Greenfield Cooperative Bank was up to $5,078,000 for the year ended March 31, 2018, and the net income after taxes was $2,773,000. The bank also paid its fair share of federal and Massachusetts income taxes ($1.5 million) and local property taxes (more than $129,000) in the cities and towns where it has offices. As a result of these earnings and the fact that Greenfield Cooperative Bank targets its charitable and civic giving at 5% of the prior year’s pre-tax operating income, the bank and its employees were able to contribute more than $200,000 to more than 200 charities, community groups, school events, youth teams, and cultural events throughout Hampshire and Franklin counties during the past fiscal year.

HCC, Holyoke Schools Receive Grant for Early College Program

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Holyoke public schools have been awarded a $131,600 state grant to establish a new program to help high-school students get an early start on their college educations. The program was one of only five such partnerships — and the only one outside the Greater Boston area — to receive an official  “Early College” designation from the state. The Early College Program will enable participating Holyoke students to earn a minimum of 12 college credits before they graduate from high school. Beginning in their sophomore years, students enrolled in the program will complete college courses in fields of study that align with academic majors at HCC and transfer pathways to four-year colleges and universities in Massachusetts. There is no cost to participating students. Like other dual-enrollment classes, the Early College courses will be taught by HCC faculty at Holyoke High School or on the HCC campus. The program is designed for 100 students each academic year, beginning in the sophomore year. At full capacity, in fall 2020, up to 300 students in grades 10-12 will be part of the program. Sophomore students will take their first college courses at Holyoke High School. In their junior and senior years, they will take courses on the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue. According to studies, dual-enrollment courses and early-college programs boost college-completion rates for low-income students, minorities, and first-generation college students.

Colony Care at Home Donates $500 to Rotary Club’s Cambodia Project

SPRINGFIELD — Alan Popp, president of Colony Care at Home, a home-care agency in Springfield serving Western Mass. and North Central Conn., recently presented Dr. MaryAnne Herron of the Rotary Club of Springfield a check for $500. The donation was to kick off a fundraiser for the Springfield Rotary Club’s participation in an international water project for the Lvea Em District in Cambodia. “The villagers presently use the very polluted river water that surrounds their six small communities,” Herron said. “The Springfield Rotary Club has a goal to raise $600,000 to build a generator for 10,000 families who have no clean water to drink. We are applying for grants to Rotary International but need to raise some of the funds ourselves. This check is very much appreciated and a great start to our cause.” Added Popp, also a Springfield Rotarian, “I have always been especially drawn to the international service aspect of Rotary and have a particularly high regard for MaryAnne’s passion, energy, and personal sacrifice on behalf of villagers in Cambodia. As a Vietnam veteran, I also appreciate having this opportunity to give something back to Southeast Asia.”

Community Bank N.A. Donates $2,500 to MSBDCN

SPRINGFIELD — Community Bank N.A. recently presented the Western Regional Office of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDCN) with a $2,500 donation to support the organization’s various programs for 2019. MSBDCN’s Western Regional Office provides free and confidential one-to-one business advice to prospective and existing small businesses in Western Mass. The office provides a variety of services to startups and existing businesses in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. Areas of assistance include business-plan development, preventure feasibility, conventional and non-conventional financing, cash-flow analysis, organizational and personnel issues, and marketing. In its last fiscal year, MSBDCN conducted 36 events and workshops, which were attended by more than 300 participants. Throughout the first six months of this year, MSBDCN has met with 261 small-business clients seeking to start and grow their businesses and helped secure close to $2 million in funds for those clients.

Berkshire Bank Named 2018 Halo Award Winner

BOSTON — Berkshire Bank announced it was awarded the 2018 Gold Halo Award for its XTEAM corporate volunteer program. The award recognizes the top corporate social-responsibility efforts in North America across multiple categories, including education, cause marketing, and employee engagement. Berkshire received the award in the Employee Engagement (Group Volunteering) category, which recognizes initiatives that meaningfully and measurably engage its employees in a cause-focused initiative to achieve both a social and a business impact. Berkshire’s Xtraordinary Day of Service, held in June 2017, mobilized 92% of its workforce across the country and impacted more than 400,000 individuals. In 2017, the XTEAM logged 306 projects benefiting 203 organizations and contributed 40,000 hours of service. This corporate employee-volunteer program boasts a 100% employee-participation rate, earning it the highest recognition in the Employee Engagement category.

Briefcase

News of interest about the region’s business community

ValleyBike Launches Regional Bike-share Program

NORTHAMPTON — ValleyBike launched with a celebration and parade on June 28 at in Pulaski Park. ValleyBike is the first bike-share program in the Pioneer Valley and the first pedal-assist bike-share program in New England. The program allows members to pay for bikes by the trip, or join as a member for unlimited 45-minute rides by the day, month, or year. Partners include the communities of Amherst, Holyoke, Northampton, South Hadley, and Springfield, as well as UMass Amherst and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC). ValleyBike was initiated by Amherst, Northampton, and the PVPC, and then quickly joined by Springfield, Holyoke, and South Hadley. The planning effort was led by the PVPC, which found the funding for planning. Leadership of the effort switched to Northampton for the implementation phase of the project. Residents may sign up at www.valleybike.org, with special founding membership opportunities for a limited time. “ValleyBike is yet another exciting example of how our region, and its cities and towns, are working collaboratively and proactively to shape a smart and sustainable future for us all,” said PVPC Executive Director Tim Brennan. “ValleyBike not only introduces a new type of shared mobility, but offers a creative and sensible way to improve our air and our health while capturing the benefits of modern-day pedal power.” ValleyBike has contracted with Bewegen Technologies and Corps Logistics to build and operate the system, and is funded by state and federal grants, Bewegen investments, community investments in station pads, user fees, and program sponsors.

State Awards $1,080,000 to Increase Access to Healthy, Local Food

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration awarded $1,080,000 to a joint partnership between the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund and Franklin County Community Development Corporation to create a sustainable program that creates quality jobs and increases food access for low-income residents throughout the state. The funding is awarded under the Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP), a program launched by the Baker-Polito administration in 2017, which seeks to establish a financing infrastructure that increases access to healthy, affordable food options and to improve economic opportunities for nutritionally underserved communities statewide. The MFTP, funded through the administration’s FY 2018 Capital Investment Plan, provides funding through grants to community development financial institutions and community development corporations. This statewide program is designed to meet the financing needs to fresh food retailers and distributors that plan to operate in underserved communities where costs and credit needs cannot be filled solely by conventional financing institutions. With the funding, grantees may provide grants, loans, and technical assistance to support entities that have shown a meaningful commitment to sell fresh, affordable, and local products, with a preference for food grown, caught, or harvested in Massachusetts. Projects that are eligible for funding through the awarded financial institutions include the development, renovation, and expansion of supermarkets; commercial community kitchens; and commercial greenhouses.

Job Picture Continues to Improve in Massachusetts

BOSTON — Local unemployment rates decreased in 13 labor-market areas, increased in six areas, and remained the same in five labor-market areas in the state during the month of May, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Compared to May 2017, the rates dropped in 23 labor-market areas and increased in one area. Fourteen of the 15 areas for which job estimates are published recorded a seasonal job gain in May. The largest gains occurred in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Barnstable, Worcester, Framingham, and Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury areas. The Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton area lost jobs over the month. From May 2017 to May 2018, all 15 areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury, Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, 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 May was 3.3%. Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of May remained at 3.5% for the eighth consecutive month. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 6,200-job gain in May, and an over-the-year gain of 56,100 jobs.

 

Pioneer Valley Communities, PVPC Acting on Climate Change

SPRINGFIELD — Nine new Pioneer Valley municipalities recently joined six already working on Municipal Vulnerability Program (MVP) certification, bringing the total to 15 communities seeking greater resiliency in the face of climate change. That represents 35% of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s (PVPC) member municipalities — home to approximately 410,000 people, or more than 66% of the region’s population. In 2017, six pioneering municipalities applied for and secured MVP planning grants, and four of these six have now successfully secured action grants in the highly competitive first round of funding. Of these, Belchertown will assess stream crossings and culverts, Holyoke is learning from Hurricane Maria survivors how to adapt and care for vulnerable residents affected by extreme weather, Northampton is reducing storm damage by designing with nature, and Pelham aims to improve small-town resilience. Together, these 15 municipalities have secured $1,186,512 in state funding to plan for ($348,000) and adapt to ($838,512) the changing climate. The funding allows the PVPC to engage with local officials and community stakeholders, while leveraging its unique technical capabilities. Any of the 43 cities and towns of Hampden and Hampshire counties not currently engaged in MVP work, but interested, should contact PVPC Senior Planning Emily Slotnick at (413) 781-6045 or [email protected].

Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

MKDP Inc., 418 Meadow St., A6, Agawam, MA 01001. Paul D. Musselwhite, same. Restaurant.

Pastaio Via Corta Inc., 25 Alhambra Circle South, Agawam, MA 01001. Danielle M. Glantz, same. Production and sale of food.

AMHERST

PB & A Solutions Inc., 55 Hulst Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Paul G. Bobrowski, same. Software development and other related services

EAST LONGMEADOW

Morrissey Ventures Inc., 141 Porter Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Paul Morrissey, same. Pet boarding and grooming.

GREENFIELD

Om Country Farm Inc., 49 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Falguni Patel, 5 Patriot Ridge Lane, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Convenience.

INDIAN ORCHARD

Orchard Laser Hair Removal & Aesthetics Inc., 835 Worcester St., Suite, B, Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Aesthetic laser treatment center.

NORTHFIELD

Pioneer Valley Poetry Productions Inc., 181 School St., Northfield, MA 01360. Edward Foster, same. Product and promote public poetry readings.

PALMER

New Tang’s Inc., 1581 North Main St., Palmer, MA 01069. Chang Qi Wu, 433 51st St., Brooklyn, NY 11220. Take-out restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD

Pinnacle Express Inc., 143 Main St., Springfield, MA 01105. Kennth M. Rodriguez, same. Transportation.

Quantum Electric Inc., 29 Pelham St., Springfield, MA 01109. Christopher Martinez, same. Constructional, electrical.

WESTFIELD

New China Star Inc., 36 Southwick Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Yun Zheng, same. Take-out restaurant.

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2018.

BELCHERTOWN

Belchertown Soccer Club
2 Sabin St.
Clifford Holt II

C.O. Lawncare
40 Daniel Shays Highway
Ann Shelton

Community Options Inc.
442 State St.
Ann Shelton

Family Ties
584 North Liberty St.
Mark Fitzherbert

Frank’s Lawnmower Service
181 Jabish St.
Frank Towne

Galaxy Automotive
50 Turkey Hill Road
Ali Soleimani, Wendy Soleimani

Hubbard Home Improvement
121 North Main St.
Thomas Hubbard

Inner Peace Farm
275 Jackson St.
Sara Weil

CHICOPEE

AK Corp.
45 Forest St.
Marie-Airelle Kemembin

Residential & Commercial Design
704 Granby Road
John Kosakowski

Sarah S. Vadi
208 Exchange St.
Sarah Shanty Vadi

Where the Vinyl Things Are
141 Nonotuck Ave.
Nina Leclerc

DEERFIELD

High Performance Marketing
75 Sugarloaf St.
Daniel White

Jerry’s Place
55A North Main St.
Jared Dagrosa

Polar Focus Inc.
20 Industrial Dr. East
Michael Akrep

EASTHAMPTON

Grey Street Photography
173 Main St., Apt. R
Danielle Vengrove

Tall Dog Electronics
48 Parsons St., Unit 6
Daniel Gilbert

HADLEY

Alligator Brook Farms
42 Lawrence Place
James Gnatek

Ananda Yoga
41 Russell St.
Justine Budhram

Arts School
8 Goffe St.
Weir Arts

Edible Arrangements
41 Russell St.
Louise Beauchenirn

Embodied Chiropractic
226-D Russell St.
Brenna Werme

Fort River Farm
102 Mill Valley
Gordon Smith

Knotted Wood
79 River Dr.
Kellsie Rees

Lucy & Sue Pioneer Valley Photo
233 Bay Road
Susan Pawlishen

Pipczynski Farm
22 East St.
Dennis Pipczynski

Studio Subjective
5B Cemetery Road
Emily Gallik

HOLYOKE

Amazing Discount
369 High St.
Abdul Sattar Chaudhry

AOK Improvements
120 Front St.
AOK Bottle & Can Inc.

Bliny Crepes Tea House Inc.
50 Holyoke St.
Arturas Rivinskas

Home Health Solutions
1593 Northampton St.
Nova Leap Health MA II Inc.

Pickles Pub & Pizzeria
910 Hampden St.
Rene Dulude, Jodi Dulude

Salon Jade
234 Lyman St.
Jasmine Reyes

LONGMEADOW

Claddagh School of Irish Dance
37 Wimbleton Drive
Home Office

EPF Consulting
247 Crestview Circle
IT Consulting

NORTHAMPTON

Bird’s Store
94 Maple St.
Gaurang Patel

Companion Software
71 Olander Dr.
Lawrence Daniele

Crafted Birth
149 Barrett St.
Mollie Hartford-Chamberland

Deals by Little Man
35 Ellington Road
Katherine Carey

Holistic & Rehab Center
107 Moser St.
Sunny Chernly

Holy Cow Online Marketing
71 Olander Dr.
Lawrence Daniele

Jeffrey Bott Contracting
32 Pine St.
Jeffrey Bott

Northampton Jewelers Inc.
104 Main St.
Cuauhtli Hernandez

Rolling Clouds Soapery
140 Pine St.
Rebecca Fritz

Room 6
140 Pine St.
Wendie Willey

SPRINGFIELD

Andrew Farrar Painting
852 Belmont Ave.
Andrew Farrar

Andy and Jassi Inc.
711 Boston Road
Ravinder Arora

Barranco Construction
43 Melha Ave.
Santos Barranco

Beauty Queen Salon
874 State St.
Janira Del Luna

Blair Boys Painting
43 Belvidere St.
Dennis Blair

Crown Weather Services
152 Lake Dr.
Robert William

Dewey Street
34 Front St.
Cindy Nickerson

Fine Arts Heritage
54 Thornfell St.
Erin Lamica

FedEx Office #176
1 MGM Way
FedEx Corp.

Good Neighbor Fence Co.
80 Elijah St.
Elijah Street, LLC

Metrocare of Springfield
125 Liberty St., #404
Alex Eydinov

NEMC, LLC
720 Berkshire Ave.
Mohammed Burhan

New York Nail Salon
1368 Allen St.
Trung Nguyen

Olmeda Home Improvement
26 Ledyard St.
Orlando Olmeda

Pamela J. Chesbro Consulting
41 Eleanor Road
Pamela Chesbro

Renay’s Personal Chef Service
193 Northampton Ave.
Renay Stampp

RJ’s Handyman Service
100 Loretta St.
James Avery

Robbin D. Jones
21 Deveau St.
Robbin Jones

Roll In Roll Out Tire Service
359-361 Taylor St.
Ngoni Noble Makoni

School of the Noble Warrior
57 School St.
Ahmad Sharif

The Spirit Shoppe
1132 St. James Ave.
Pankajkumar Patel

Taylor Rentals
34 North Chatham St.
Velma Taylor

WESTFIELD

Blueriver Recycling
58 Sherwood Ave.
Gene Davis

Erwin Electrical Services
53 Westwood Dr.
Michael Erwin

Gambe ENT
43 Fairfield Ave.
Robert Gambe

Jojo’s Rustic Remnants
182 Falley Dr.
Joanne Bigelow

Major Home Improvements
19 Hunters Slope
Vasilie Kukharchuk

Pro Green Power Washing
73B Moseley Ave.
Nathan Provost

Property Management Service
Merritt Andrews
14 Spring St.

Ray of Hope International Church
15 Summer St.
Parlad Gurung

The Scrub Peddler
10 Fawn Lane
Ellen Tatro Majka

TNT Pressure Washing
9 Zephyr Dr.
Terrence Pulley

Unified PPC
49 Church St.
Maksim Yurovsky

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Aveanna Healthcare
78 Capital Dr.
Epic Health Services

Bobcat of Greater Springfield
181 Wayside Ave.
Bobcat of Greater Springfield

Comfort Inn and Suites
106 Capital Dr.
Nataver Inc.

Conca Sport and Fitness
170 Elm St.
Stephen Conca

Denny’s Auto Export
1044 Piper Road
James Denny

Elm Family Dentistry
1284 Elm St.
Cole Archambault, Gary Archambault

Forfa Home Repair
85 Day St.
William Forfa

Bankruptcies

The following bankruptcy petitions were re5onfirm all information with the court.

Barboza, Heidi A.
3 Fletcher St., Apt. D
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/06/18

Bauer, Raymond
229 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/15/18

Blakely, Jason M.
54 Beverly Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Boudreau, David J.
18 Maple St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Boudreau, Marilyn J.
234 South St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Bridges, James A.
26 Spruce St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Burgos, Eduardo R.
34 Ontario St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Burke, Paula Anne
a/k/a Burke-Montalvo, Paula A.
40 Lawler St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Burnett, Joshua Daniel
Burnett, Kelly Marie
181 Harugari St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/14/18

Cognac, Lori A.
58 Allison Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/06/18

Colon Robles, Carmen M.
411 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/14/18

Cox, David Martin
70 Birch St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/14/18

Cust Express
Cust, Jerry L.
36 Westerly Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Daigneault, Kathleen M.
151 Gardens Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/12/18

Denette, Edward C.
116 John St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/13/18

Duford, Jason A.
Duford, Christy L.
112 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Flores, Jasmine A.
19 Hastings St., Apt. 2L
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

Gaj, Paul Francis
60 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/31/18

Gamache, Tammy L.
157 Palmer St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Gardner, Shirley L.
a/k/a Spencer, Shirley L.
47 Palmyra St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/13/18

Gelinas, Brett A.
75 Fairway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Gillis, Brian Stuart
128 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/04/18

Gorn, Scott Zelig
457 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Guiel, Daniel R.
Guiel, Cheryl A.
2027 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/12/18

Kelly, Carol L.
28 Duffy Lane
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/04/18

Landry, Linda A.
260 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

LeClaire, Kenneth J.
LeClaire, Robin D.
50 Campbell Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Lissandri, Lillian P.
21 Gay Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Lorow, Gregg A.
Lorow, Lynda S.
146 Edwards Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/01/18

Lovler, David A.
11 Fairfield Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Morey, Amy R.
22 Laurel St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

MSM Transport, LLC
73 Oregon Road
Ashland, MA 01721
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

Mullarkey, Gregory A.
11 Fowler Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/07/18

Narreau, Paul
Narreau, Patricia A.
2023 East St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

North, Kevin Allen
227 North Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/14/18

Ojeda, Jessica
a/k/a Ojeda-Tarrats, Jessica
38 Dorothy Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

O’Malley, Maureen V.
16 Union St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/04/18

Owens, Kissa T.
a/k/a Owens-Davis, Kissa T.
53 Palmer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Payless Auto Sales
Doyle, Wayne
Doyle, Kelly
a/k/a Brothers, Kelly
215 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

Pushee, Craig Eugene
13 Leo Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/12/18

Renaud, Kelly Rita
23 Coolidge Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Renaud, Kelly Rita
23 Coolidge Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/15/18

Rodriguez, Evelyn
290 Dorset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/07/18

Rozki, Bethany J.
110 Wayne St.
West Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/10/18

Ruel, Paul A.
37 Ridgeway Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Spencer, Elizabeth A
75 Main St., Apt. 2
Northfield, MA 01360
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Sustache, Ruth D.
16-18 Beacon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/05/18

Territo, Jennifer M.
38 Gerrard Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/11/18

Torres, Denise
a/k/a Rivera, Denise
51 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/07/18

Turgeon, Germain J.
Turgeon, Laurette M.
20 Everett St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Welcome, Kurt Joseph
10 Depot St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/08/18

Wiater, John M.
200 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/07/18

Zborowski, Douglas J.
Zborowski, Renee O.
a/k/a Stetson, Renee O.
49A Crown St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/13/18

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

1629 Conway Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Cynthia J. Cheever
Seller: Jacqueline T. Marsh
Date: 06/05/18

BUCKLAND

1 Conway Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Clint R. Kelley
Seller: Dena M. Briggs
Date: 06/14/18

COLRAIN

15 High St.
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Migdalys Burgos-Diaz
Seller: Douglas A. Weber
Date: 06/07/18

CONWAY

411 South Shirkshire Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Patrick Lynch
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 06/11/18

DEERFIELD

12 Captain Lathrop Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Barbara Kubacki
Seller: Barbara Kubacki RET
Date: 06/05/18

341 Pine Nook Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Philip Greer
Seller: David Ilsley
Date: 06/11/18

GREENFIELD

898 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $322,000
Buyer: Frederick G. Nassiff
Seller: R. J. Mulford
Date: 06/15/18

68 Cleveland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $197,500
Buyer: Michael F. Dindoffer
Seller: Dana M. Fulton
Date: 06/08/18

259 Federal St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: James W. Renaud
Seller: Raven Ridge LLC
Date: 06/08/18

70 Fort Square
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Edmond L. Leclerc
Seller: Jennifer A. Mielinski
Date: 06/08/18

39 Grove St.
Greenfield, MA 01376
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Paul W. Allis
Seller: Daniel M. Majewski
Date: 06/15/18

16 Hall Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Andrew Downey Myles
Seller: Joshua D. Parker
Date: 06/15/18

128 Mountain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $433,500
Buyer: Curtice R. Griffin
Seller: Alistair N. Shurman
Date: 06/08/18

47 Silvio O. Conte Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: DS PBCR LLC
Seller: Howard Mathison
Date: 06/06/18

28 Wunsch Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Austin E. Moreno
Seller: Andrew M. Cloutier
Date: 06/15/18

HAWLEY

12 Pudding Hollow Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Bryan W. Clark
Seller: Kenneth A. Bertsch
Date: 06/07/18

LEVERETT

10 Lead Mine Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Michael A. Wissemann
Seller: Langley RT
Date: 06/07/18

101 Long Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $338,000
Buyer: Anya Jacobs
Seller: Sharon E. Howard
Date: 06/14/18

LEYDEN

27 Eden Trail
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Richard Pendleton
Seller: Wayne L. Fisher
Date: 06/08/18

MONTAGUE

14 Gunn Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Tanya M. Parker
Seller: Henry Komosa
Date: 06/15/18

ORANGE

35 Ball St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Katherine S. Bates
Seller: David A. Page
Date: 06/05/18

24 Briggs St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Lisa R. Merrill
Seller: Arthur Dumont
Date: 06/11/18

67 Mayo Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: 88 Lambert Ave NT
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 06/11/18

3 Meadow Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jacob Fedelski
Seller: Ryan J. Lilley
Date: 06/08/18

Moore Ave. #6E
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: George A. Hunt
Seller: Orange Economic Development
Date: 06/08/18

118 Tully Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Mickey Gonzalez
Seller: Reginald C. Haughton
Date: 06/07/18

SHELBURNE

125 Reynolds Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John F. Manning
Seller: Michael D. Parry
Date: 06/15/18

55 Shelburne Center Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Jeffrey B. Barden
Seller: Biscuit Hill Farm LLC
Date: 06/04/18

SHUTESBURY

379 Leverett Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Zeller
Seller: Kevin McGarigal
Date: 06/08/18

WENDELL

41 Bear Mountain Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Rachel Stevens
Seller: John T. Koehler
Date: 06/11/18

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

115 Anthony St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Alicia C. St.Laurent
Seller: Mary-Ellen Hulse
Date: 06/04/18

27 Belvidere Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $200,900
Buyer: Kathleen S. Sobczyk
Seller: John Cooley
Date: 06/08/18

44 Colonial Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Dobek
Seller: Patrick H. Cullen
Date: 06/11/18

234 Corey St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $228,550
Buyer: New England Developers
Seller: US Bank
Date: 06/14/18

28 Garden St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Kelly Holve
Seller: David A. Dorman
Date: 06/05/18

70 Independence Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $339,000
Buyer: Lawrence A. Mayo
Seller: Matthew W. Bulmer
Date: 06/14/18

232 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Katelyn Iacolo
Seller: Norman J. Iacolo
Date: 06/08/18

58 Oak Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $206,250
Buyer: Thomas J. Graveline
Seller: James T. Graveline
Date: 06/04/18

34 Peros Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Stephen Liptak
Seller: June L. Savoy
Date: 06/11/18

52 Peros Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Dufrane
Seller: Viktor Moshkovskiy
Date: 06/08/18

31 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: J. M. Leclerc-McLaughlin
Seller: Brett J. McLaughlin
Date: 06/05/18

76 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Ashley M. Moore
Seller: David L. Aldrich
Date: 06/12/18

167 Poplar St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Jason Mann
Seller: Mary F. Whalen
Date: 06/15/18

53 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Patrick H. Cullen
Seller: Emerald City Rentals LLC
Date: 06/11/18

71 Stony Hill Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $142,058
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: William J. Muzzy
Date: 06/13/18

76 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Ashley M. Moore
Seller: David L. Aldrich
Date: 06/12/18

167 Poplar St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Jason Mann
Seller: Mary F. Whalen
Date: 06/15/18

53 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Patrick H. Cullen
Seller: Emerald City Rentals LLC
Date: 06/11/18

71 Stony Hill Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $142,058
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: William J. Muzzy
Date: 06/13/18

BLANDFORD

30-R Birch Hill Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ryan F. Jarest
Seller: Edwin E. Howe
Date: 06/15/18

Stannard Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Springfield City Water
Seller: Arlow H. Case
Date: 06/11/18

30-R Birch Hill Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ryan F. Jarest
Seller: Edwin E. Howe
Date: 06/15/18

Stannard Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Springfield City Water
Seller: Arlow H. Case
Date: 06/11/18

BRIMFIELD

67 Champeaux Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $446,000
Buyer: MTGLQ Investors LP
Seller: Mike W. Crosby
Date: 06/08/18

CHICOPEE

40 Auburn St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $169,500
Buyer: Victor M. Santiago-Rivera
Seller: Glotin, Leone A., (Estate)
Date: 06/15/18

115 Blanchwood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ramona M. Romero
Seller: Christina J. Cordero
Date: 06/11/18

388 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $392,500
Buyer: Hurricane Properties LLC
Seller: North Harlow 2 LLC
Date: 06/15/18

635 Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Robert F. Barnes
Seller: Jones FT
Date: 06/08/18

378 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Dmitriy Salagornik
Seller: Sergey Tokarev
Date: 06/05/18

400 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Al Lafleur Inc.
Seller: Kenneth A. Gevry
Date: 06/13/18

600 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Cayo
Seller: Ronald A. Libby
Date: 06/15/18

146 Edgewood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Steven P. Gilzinger
Seller: Joseph M. Thomas
Date: 06/08/18

195 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jessica Nhong
Seller: Jadwiga D. Nhong
Date: 06/15/18

92 Harding St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Reniewicz
Seller: Adam P. Tanguay
Date: 06/06/18

117 Labelle Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $274,000
Buyer: Sobhi M. Saleh
Seller: Kazimierz Chmielewski
Date: 06/14/18

43 Laskowski St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Melissa M. Lizardi
Seller: Daniel J. Roberge
Date: 06/13/18

76 Neill Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Paulo M. Fragoso
Seller: Michael J. Fine
Date: 06/08/18

17 Pearl St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Lemire
Seller: Elaine M. Dutton
Date: 06/15/18

421 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Barbara Dickinson
Seller: Jeffrey Vanoudenhove
Date: 06/11/18

25 Tenney St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jose A. Fines
Seller: Robert F. Barnes
Date: 06/08/18

40 Western Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Bachir M. Saleh
Seller: Elizabeth Dabrowski
Date: 06/15/18

24 Willwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $145,953
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: John Martino
Date: 06/04/18

EAST LONGMEADOW

147 Canterbury Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $730,500
Buyer: Min Zhao
Seller: Mitchell J. Westlund
Date: 06/15/18

134 Country Club Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Peter Cote
Seller: Timothy P. Daggett
Date: 06/15/18

Deer Park Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Charles G. Arment
Seller: Westmass Area Development Corp.
Date: 06/14/18

126 Gates Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $185,500
Buyer: Jonathan Schroeder
Seller: William E. Preye
Date: 06/04/18

26 Hampden Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $252,500
Buyer: Ronald F. Ennaco
Seller: Allyn K. Peterson
Date: 06/07/18

38 Hillside Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: Kyle C. Mitchell
Seller: David N. Abad
Date: 06/14/18

12 Indiana St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: M. N. Logan-Cangialosi
Seller: Hastings, Cedric W., (Estate)
Date: 06/11/18

15 Peachtree Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Ormond B. Hamilton
Seller: Jeffery H. Hastings
Date: 06/05/18

80 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Casey Laushway
Seller: Todd M. Kowalczyk
Date: 06/04/18

55 Rockingham Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: Christopher Mudge
Seller: Patrick T. Mailloux
Date: 06/15/18

834 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $264,000
Buyer: Jessica Nash
Seller: Joseph P. Deangelo
Date: 06/15/18

250 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Gina M. Roy
Seller: Samar Reine
Date: 06/07/18

HAMPDEN

13 Sessions Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Taran A. Savoie
Seller: Joseph Delessio
Date: 06/15/18

HOLLAND

18 Knollwood Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: David A. Roche
Seller: Barbara Travisano
Date: 06/07/18

21 Lakeridge Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Karen J. Calkins
Seller: Arnold Paul
Date: 06/13/18

51 Old County Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Davide M. Ferrari
Seller: Jude Germaine-Skowyra
Date: 06/15/18

1 Old East Brimfield Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Jennifer J. Sullivan
Seller: Jean M. Sullivan
Date: 06/11/18

18 Stafford Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $214,900
Buyer: Jesse Vaillancourt
Seller: Jose L. Ramos
Date: 06/12/18

HOLYOKE

82 Chapin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Luis Rodriguez
Seller: Miguel A. Cruz
Date: 06/11/18

11 Cypress Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Anthony E. Giannetti
Seller: James M. Hart
Date: 06/13/18

141 Dupuis Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Brian E. Besko
Seller: Andrew M. Barsalou
Date: 06/04/18

345-363 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Assets Investment Co. LLC
Seller: Princeton Commercial Holding
Date: 06/05/18

51 Francis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $157,700
Buyer: Jeffrey D. Nutting
Seller: Donna E. Dickinson
Date: 06/13/18

1033-R Hampden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Beatriz I. Rivera
Seller: Bowen, Shirley J., (Estate)
Date: 06/13/18

63 Hillview Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $189,839
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Erica R. Leahy
Date: 06/12/18

20 Labrie Lane
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $389,000
Buyer: Leeann Pasquini
Seller: Eduardo B. Carballo
Date: 06/12/18

21 Morgan St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Jennifer Gutterman
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 06/11/18

1140 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Ruth H. Pinon
Seller: James M. Neiswanger
Date: 06/04/18

126-128 Pearl St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Alexandra H. Fazzi
Seller: John Makowski
Date: 06/15/18

133 Pleasant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Andrzej J. Warminski
Seller: Linda C. Laderach
Date: 06/15/18

28 Stanford St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Patrick T. Kandianis
Seller: Katherine Q. Hebert
Date: 06/15/18

30 Vadnais St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Fabienne D. Boisson
Seller: Jennifer L. Cooper
Date: 06/08/18

292-294 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: James Stillwaggon
Seller: Richard A. Herman
Date: 06/14/18

LONGMEADOW

37 Captain Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $226,800
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Diane L. Josephson
Date: 06/14/18

246 Colony Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Yiming Ching
Seller: James R. Cook
Date: 06/04/18

26 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Ryan M. Coseo
Seller: Jesus Escobar
Date: 06/08/18

177 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $316,900
Buyer: Michael Diclemente
Seller: John D. Bowman
Date: 06/06/18

10 Magnolia Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $628,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Sheehan
Seller: Elaine Fleisher
Date: 06/13/18

15 Magnolia Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: Andreas Vaupel
Seller: Natalie K. Rafferty
Date: 06/04/18

183 Meadowbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Carol L. Abizaid
Seller: Mary Scully
Date: 06/04/18

142 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Jeremy E. Master
Seller: Anil V. Inamdar
Date: 06/04/18

49 Quinnehtuk Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $427,000
Buyer: Shawn A. Caron
Seller: Richard S. Fox
Date: 06/15/18

36 Willett Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $481,000
Buyer: Matthew Brais
Seller: James F. Biron
Date: 06/14/18

186 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: David P. Buscemi
Seller: Elizabeth Perodeau
Date: 06/08/18

963 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $488,000
Buyer: Alexander C. Santaniello
Seller: Vincent B. Santaniello
Date: 06/11/18

LUDLOW

30 Brookfield St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Raul R. Coelho
Seller: Anne M. Correia
Date: 06/12/18

54 Bruni Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Butcher
Seller: Hervieux, Mary C., (Estate)
Date: 06/08/18

47 Coolidge Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $235,500
Buyer: Isabel G. Martins
Seller: Elaine Lemieux
Date: 06/13/18

33 Crescent Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $186,250
Buyer: Nicole L. Belisle-Garza
Seller: Domitilia A. Rodrigues
Date: 06/12/18

174 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $284,000
Buyer: Steven M. Oliveira
Seller: Ann M. Belden
Date: 06/15/18

78 Georgetown Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Patrick A. Roy
Seller: Diane L. Witowski
Date: 06/11/18

135-137 Howard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Manuel C. Salgado
Seller: Idalina C. Rodrigues
Date: 06/14/18

115-117 Minechoag Heights
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Jorge J. Fonseca
Seller: Jose F. Mateus
Date: 06/14/18

11 Nash Hill Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Brent E. Fisher
Seller: Deann Szczepanek-Bingham
Date: 06/08/18

183 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nathan J. Pereira
Seller: Donald G. Clement
Date: 06/07/18

183 Reynolds St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $148,500
Buyer: Eric A. Rucki
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 06/15/18

137 Stevens St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Grace M. Dias
Seller: Vincent F. Stanek
Date: 06/05/18

681 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $397,000
Buyer: Chris L. Cotto
Seller: Ronald P. Methe
Date: 06/15/18

135 Whitney St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kyle W. Neil-Vosburgh
Seller: Kyle J. Gauthier
Date: 06/15/18

MONSON

41 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $128,200
Buyer: TM Properties Inc.
Seller: TM Properties Inc.
Date: 06/05/18

MONTGOMERY

47 Pitcher St.
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $613,000
Buyer: Steven D. Pierce
Seller: Roberta Barron
Date: 06/14/18

PALMER

10 Brown St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Stephanie S. Russo
Seller: Gordon M. Merkel
Date: 06/04/18

1057 Central St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $212,400
Buyer: Carol Campagna
Seller: Donald J. Potter
Date: 06/15/18

39 Converse St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Michael C. Champagne
Seller: Irene M. Johnson
Date: 06/15/18

4037 Hill St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $252,500
Buyer: Dianne L. Lefebvre
Seller: Steven P. Lemay
Date: 06/08/18

80 Squier St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $236,195
Buyer: Wesley R. Deshano
Seller: Raymond Labonte
Date: 06/08/18

2 Thompson Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $231,900
Buyer: Kevin Larocque
Seller: Jane E. Sutphin
Date: 06/15/18

SOUTHWICK

12 Bugbee Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Larue FT
Seller: Anderson, Elwood H., (Estate)
Date: 06/04/18

9 Junction Station Road #9
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Mary F. Whalen
Seller: 20 Depot Square LLC
Date: 06/15/18

24 Lauren Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Matthew W. Bulmer
Seller: Kelly J. Francoeur
Date: 06/14/18

11 North Pond Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $725,000
Buyer: Daryl M. Philo
Seller: Chang H. Choi
Date: 06/15/18

7 Overlook Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Cynthia N. Metcalf
Seller: Pinnacle Estates at the Ranch
Date: 06/15/18

45 Pineywood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Yuliya Sivolobova
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 06/05/18

11 Pondview Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Thomas C. Feyre
Seller: Rodney H. Payette
Date: 06/13/18

SPRINGFIELD

48 Agnes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $148,900
Buyer: Darcy L. Borecki
Seller: Brian A. Bisson
Date: 06/14/18

137-139 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Charlie Melo-Perez
Seller: Gabriel E. Sanchez
Date: 06/05/18

891-893 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $128,740
Buyer: JP Morgan Chase Bank
Seller: Domitila Silva-Cruz
Date: 06/07/18

36 Arthur St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Juan D. Almonte
Seller: Miriam I. Caldwell
Date: 06/15/18

107 Arthur St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,500
Buyer: Evelyne I. Malavi
Seller: Erik J. Lacasse
Date: 06/11/18

228 Atwater Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Robert F. Shea
Seller: Keough, John J. Jr, (Estate)
Date: 06/08/18

64 Audubon St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Daren Kline
Seller: Grosz RT
Date: 06/04/18

17 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $131,500
Buyer: Scott T. Page
Seller: Andrew A. Ngure
Date: 06/15/18

465 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $124,586
Buyer: PNC Bank
Seller: Susann G. Schwarz
Date: 06/04/18

185 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Mattie L. Barklow
Seller: Robert J. Shonak
Date: 06/08/18

175 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $223,829
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Anthony Appleyard
Date: 06/06/18

37 Bray St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Yolanda Torres
Seller: Mary Peters
Date: 06/12/18

35 Bruce St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Kathryn Graves
Seller: Kevin T. Stevenson
Date: 06/08/18

50 Cambridge St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Orlando Berdecia
Seller: VIP Homes & Associates LLC
Date: 06/06/18

52 Carnavon Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Jeanny B. Chalas
Seller: Titus B. Barklow
Date: 06/08/18

26-28 Claremont St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Zuleikys Y. Escoto
Seller: Lachenauer LLC
Date: 06/08/18

374 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $136,900
Buyer: Krista Santiago
Seller: Mildred Goldsmith
Date: 06/15/18

58 Crawford Circle
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ashley C. Crutchfield
Seller: Della Ripa Real Estate
Date: 06/14/18

41 Dartmouth St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Fatima M. Abdelmagid
Seller: Yasir Osman
Date: 06/06/18

84 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Kimberly A. Deuso
Seller: Juan A. Lozada
Date: 06/12/18

201 Durant St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Seneca R. Spruill
Seller: Joshua O’Neil
Date: 06/11/18

74 East Drumlin Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Jenna Girouard
Seller: Leonard Volfson
Date: 06/15/18

101 Eleanor Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Joyce A. Crafts
Seller: Maria Georges
Date: 06/07/18

29 Fairway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Garfield D. March
Seller: Shellie M. Donner
Date: 06/15/18

55 Fenway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Mohammed N. Meteab
Seller: Country Development Corp.
Date: 06/14/18

264 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: William Raleigh
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 06/08/18

228 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: NSP Residential LLC
Seller: PNC Bank
Date: 06/08/18

171 Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $116,400
Buyer: Daniel Cabido
Seller: James W. Fiore
Date: 06/05/18

46 Grattan St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Hellson N. Almodovar
Seller: Anibal Cotto-Laboy
Date: 06/08/18

6 Greentree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Shane M. Fricke
Seller: Charmaine Luvera
Date: 06/15/18

23 Greentree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Hyacinthe Ufiteyezu
Seller: Domenic S. Folco
Date: 06/08/18

98 Hall St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Jose L. Fontan
Seller: Lachenauer LLC
Date: 06/15/18

77 Huron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Lareau
Seller: Kenneth L. Fitzgibbon
Date: 06/11/18

55 Ionia St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $147,100
Buyer: Johanny M. Tejeda
Seller: Indra Harris
Date: 06/04/18

43 Jefferson Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Homayra Rivera-Lozada
Seller: Imadeddine A. Awkal
Date: 06/05/18

179 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $138,500
Buyer: Kevin R. Benoit
Seller: Marie Tavernier
Date: 06/15/18

34 Lancaster St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Justin J. Turner
Seller: George E. Legere
Date: 06/04/18

65 Leatherleaf Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: 4D RT
Seller: Janice M. Moses
Date: 06/12/18

73 Leete St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $117,400
Buyer: Jose E. Serrano
Seller: Vanessa Rodriguez
Date: 06/12/18

150 Louis Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Dylan J. Sheehan
Seller: Joanne N. Gilley
Date: 06/13/18

45 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Michele L. Paige
Seller: Laura A. Normand
Date: 06/15/18

445 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: 445 LLC
Seller: RSMS LLC
Date: 06/11/18

46 Marquette St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Lydia E. Caban
Seller: Joseph Pantuosco
Date: 06/14/18

53 Martha St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Solimar Rivera
Seller: Somontia S. Smith
Date: 06/05/18

110 Mary Coburn Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Robert J. Perkins
Seller: Nancy G. Kennedy
Date: 06/07/18

90 Mayher St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Chad J. Tillinghast
Seller: Cheryl M. Cassidy
Date: 06/15/18

41 McKnight St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Jitxia M. Diaz
Seller: Good Homes LLC
Date: 06/13/18

109 Mildred Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Miriam L. Caldwell
Seller: Sandra L. Sternal-Chafer
Date: 06/15/18

34-36 Moulton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $128,625
Buyer: Junior Properties LLC
Seller: HSBC Bank
Date: 06/15/18

49 Norman St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Jacqueline Diaz
Seller: James Lee
Date: 06/15/18

24 North Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Rick M. Pio
Seller: Brian Krawiec
Date: 06/04/18

80 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Ramon A. Rodriguez
Date: 06/11/18

60 Old Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $205,500
Buyer: Kelly A. Partridge
Seller: Daniel P. Lukasik
Date: 06/07/18

154 Packard Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Venice M. Phillips
Seller: Gary M. Gaudette
Date: 06/08/18

406-408 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Albert B. Cuevas
Seller: FHLM
Date: 06/12/18

850 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: David O. Nicholson
Date: 06/05/18

14 Parkwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Felix Arez
Seller: Albert Garnier
Date: 06/08/18

872 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Matthew Simon
Seller: Freddie Redondo
Date: 06/05/18

133 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Gamalier Colon
Seller: Randy L. Knoll
Date: 06/08/18

23 Rosedale Ave.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Michael Winn
Seller: Frank V. Winn
Date: 06/15/18

1160 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Sabrina L. Cooley
Seller: Saw Construction LLC
Date: 06/15/18

68 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: DPW RET
Seller: William L. Collins
Date: 06/15/18

119 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $160,514
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Veronica C. Gooden
Date: 06/06/18

36 South Shore Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jeffrey C. Meon
Seller: Mary E. Metzger
Date: 06/12/18

183 Stapleton Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Amybeth Danehey
Seller: AJN Rentals LLC
Date: 06/15/18

34-36 Sterling St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Jacey M. Rondeau
Seller: Nolava LLC
Date: 06/07/18

27 Stocker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Charlene Cuevas
Seller: Jessica Ferreira
Date: 06/12/18

102 Tinkham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: A. Martinez-Velazquez
Seller: Anthony M. Feliton
Date: 06/14/18

22 Virginia St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Yolanda I. Cabrera
Seller: Global Homes Properties
Date: 06/08/18

374-382 Walnut St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Joshua Reid
Seller: Mitchell Taylor
Date: 06/12/18

24 Webber St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Ai N. Lin
Seller: Carol R. Collins
Date: 06/07/18

191 West Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $156,100
Buyer: Catharine Norman-Pauze
Seller: Alice Eustathion
Date: 06/14/18

750 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $164,820
Buyer: Midfirst Bank
Seller: Mai Nguyen
Date: 06/06/18

226 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $174,226
Buyer: Christopher J. Footit
Seller: Alan A. Pellerin
Date: 06/15/18

15 Woodridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Anthony Recchia
Seller: Timothy M. McGowan
Date: 06/08/18

29 Woodrow St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $129,700
Buyer: Irmarilis Santiago
Seller: Diego Garcia
Date: 06/14/18

WALES

18 Ainsworth Hill Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Jarrett Tanner-Sumwalt
Seller: Theodore J. Casey
Date: 06/12/18

22 Monson Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Eric Pedersen
Seller: Timothy J. Watson
Date: 06/13/18

WEST SPRINGFIELD

163 Albert St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Amanda E. Kocot
Seller: Gray, Birgitta E., (Estate)
Date: 06/15/18

31 Bonnie Brae Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $297,000
Buyer: Arnold C. Farley
Seller: Jeanne A. Gagne
Date: 06/05/18

47 Bradford Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $5,000,000
Buyer: DAK Judge LLC
Seller: Home-Like Apartments Inc.
Date: 06/15/18

35 Burke Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: John P. Rancin
Seller: Lilliya Kulyak
Date: 06/14/18

86 Connecticut Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Brian S. Zapor
Seller: Brahman Holdings LLC
Date: 06/08/18

62 Craig Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $5,000,000
Buyer: Dak Judge LLC
Seller: Home-Like Apartments Inc.
Date: 06/15/18

102 Greystone Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ryan Bartlett
Seller: James F. Bailey
Date: 06/04/18

123 Greystone Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Migdalia Bernal
Seller: Catherine J. Napolitan
Date: 06/04/18

45 High St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Atif Khan
Seller: Vladimir Kot
Date: 06/07/18

6 Lyman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Aspen Properties Investments
Seller: Ryan Harrington
Date: 06/07/18

79 Robinson Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $283,500
Buyer: Joseph P. Saimeri
Seller: William Brown
Date: 06/05/18

11 Sheridan Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $232,500
Buyer: David J. Malloy
Seller: Nolan P. Ryan
Date: 06/06/18

68 Sprague St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $155,900
Buyer: That W. Tun
Seller: Robin A. Austin
Date: 06/04/18

249 Woodmont St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $227,500
Buyer: Michael S. Tenczar
Seller: Sabrina Capaccio
Date: 06/08/18

WESTFIELD

56 Barrister Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Scott A. Cervonayco
Seller: Paul P. Petell
Date: 06/15/18

50 Dartmouth St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Blais
Seller: Brahman Holdings LLC
Date: 06/15/18

307 Falley Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Bilotta
Seller: Judith G. Mason
Date: 06/04/18

33 Hawks Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Vuthy Chhum
Seller: Eric D. Meyers
Date: 06/08/18

102 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: MTGLQ Investors LP
Seller: Kara E. Smith
Date: 06/07/18

163 Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $158,546
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Pamela J. Kappel
Date: 06/11/18

138 Meadow St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: C&K Blue Sky Properties
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 06/05/18

45 Miller St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Joann Laplante
Seller: John E. Wood
Date: 06/08/18

78 Orange St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Maya Shankar
Seller: Sara E. Gilbert
Date: 06/08/18

20 School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $204,500
Buyer: Western Mass Property Developers
Seller: Eagle Properties Development Inc.
Date: 06/15/18

347 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Krystal Olko
Seller: Lapierre, Liann, (Estate)
Date: 06/06/18

10 Sherman St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $116,500
Buyer: Richard Ringer
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 06/15/18

55 South Meadow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $263,500
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Emmett
Seller: Robert B. Morrill
Date: 06/14/18

25 Spruce St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Zachary Florek
Seller: Robert W. Bernardara
Date: 06/08/18

57 Western Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Greaney
Seller: Jeffrey R. Mitchell
Date: 06/13/18

WILBRAHAM

2343 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Tadpole Development Corp.
Seller: Bellasophia LLC
Date: 06/15/18

43 Decorie Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $337,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Picariello
Seller: Rene D. Garza
Date: 06/12/18

14 Devonshire Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $213,600
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Richard K. Lawrence
Date: 06/07/18

44 East Longmeadow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Association Properties Group
Seller: Steven E. Kloss
Date: 06/08/18

9 Longfellow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $176,320
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Lorraine Scott
Date: 06/12/18

4 Maynard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: NRZ REO 10 LLC
Seller: Richard S. Kinsey
Date: 06/05/18

7 Ronald Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Fusco
Seller: Custom Homes Development Group
Date: 06/08/18

38 Sunnyside Ter.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Daniel Soto-Tovar
Seller: Judy L. Cezeaux
Date: 06/07/18

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

42 Applewood Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Adam Tanguay
Seller: David L. Slovin
Date: 06/06/18

50 Aubinwood Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $347,500
Buyer: Rochelle Green
Seller: Kent FT
Date: 06/12/18

1335 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ian M. Fisher
Seller: Agustin Lao
Date: 06/14/18

19 Dickinson St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Dickinson Street LLC
Seller: Crossman, Marjorie R., (Estate)
Date: 06/04/18

419 Henry St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $699,000
Buyer: Darcy A. Zbinovec
Seller: Benjamin R. Preston
Date: 06/11/18

211 Iduna Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $675,800
Buyer: Zhijian Qiao
Seller: Robert L. Sullivan
Date: 06/11/18

15 Jason Court
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Tingyi Liu
Seller: Kam Kit Wong 2007 TR
Date: 06/07/18

28 Kestrel Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Symeon Gerasimids
Seller: William B. Driscoll
Date: 06/15/18

125 Lindenridge Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $819,000
Buyer: Ryan Crawford
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 06/11/18

87 Logtown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Min Cheng
Seller: Rex E. Wallace
Date: 06/11/18

641 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Paul M. Dibenedetto
Seller: Kathleen H. Maiolatesi TR
Date: 06/06/18

401 Old Farm Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: William J. Leonard
Seller: Tsering Dolma
Date: 06/15/18

1380 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Dolkar Gyaltsen
Seller: Robert W. McAllister
Date: 06/15/18

108 Wildflower Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $509,200
Buyer: Patrick Chin-Hong
Seller: Schultz-Pietromonaco FT
Date: 06/04/18

BELCHERTOWN

227 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Charles A. Blandford
Seller: Eric C. Paige
Date: 06/15/18

671 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Gabriel Ting
Seller: Megan S. Scoon
Date: 06/08/18

30 Canal Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Bryan W. Eldridge
Seller: William F. Daly
Date: 06/11/18

23 Chadbourne Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Steven I. Hodgen
Seller: Jeffrey D. Hodgen
Date: 06/14/18

305 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $234,597
Buyer: Florence Bank
Seller: Michalski, Jennifer M., (Estate)
Date: 06/13/18

12 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $412,900
Buyer: Richard W. Rege
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 06/15/18

177 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $344,900
Buyer: Andrew M. Barsalou
Seller: William R. Thomas
Date: 06/04/18

25 South Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Michael J. Fine
Seller: Gary G. Decoteau
Date: 06/08/18

107 South Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Plewa
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 06/11/18

305 Sabin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Michael T. Adams
Seller: Thomas J. Pelissier
Date: 06/08/18

153 Stebbins St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Dean M. Kolodji
Seller: Stephen M. O’Brien
Date: 06/14/18

CHESTERFIELD

141 Ireland St.
Chesterfield, MA 01084
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Edward Stempniewicz
Date: 06/11/18

EASTHAMPTON

21-23 Exeter St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Bethany O’Neil
Seller: Lindsay R. Barron
Date: 06/15/18

7 Laurel Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: George A. Paradee
Seller: Lisa L. Cappello
Date: 06/07/18

8 Louise Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $258,375
Buyer: 8 Louise Avenue LLC
Seller: Elizabeth Stiles-Neumann
Date: 06/15/18

127 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $622,500
Buyer: Viktoriia Harrison
Seller: Diane M. Kwolek
Date: 06/11/18

29 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Angeline M. Brault
Seller: Patrick E. O’Neil
Date: 06/15/18

50 Pomeroy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $396,000
Buyer: Deborah B. Harris
Seller: Mark S. Dupuis
Date: 06/04/18

33 Torrey St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $272,600
Buyer: Barbra L. Eaton
Seller: Cheryle S. Lawrence
Date: 06/08/18

35 Torrey St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Mark G. Mastroianni
Seller: Edward A. Salners
Date: 06/05/18

GRANBY

174 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Robert S. Seibert
Seller: David J. Barthelette
Date: 06/08/18

Carver St. #4
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Roberge
Seller: Kotowicz Custom Homes LLC
Date: 06/11/18

4 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Thomas O’Brien
Seller: Matthew T. Biron
Date: 06/07/18

89 Morgan St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: James M. Hart
Seller: Richard P. Mathieu
Date: 06/14/18

16 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Patricia J. Amidon
Seller: Patricia L. Gordon
Date: 06/15/18

HADLEY

14 Crystal Lane
Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $762,500
Buyer: Nadeem Sheikh
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 06/07/18

12 East Commons Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $459,500
Buyer: John J. Pipczynski
Seller: East Street Commons LLC
Date: 06/06/18

73 North Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Dorn L. Carranza
Seller: Carl Selavka
Date: 06/08/18

158 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Nader S. Akoury
Seller: Camella World-Peace
Date: 06/04/18

303 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: 303 Russell Street LLC
Seller: 1836 Development Ent. LLC
Date: 06/06/18

42 West St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: 42 West Street Realty LLC
Seller: Jacqueline M. Zuzgo
Date: 06/15/18

HATFIELD

13 Chestnut St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Cindy A. Barcomb
Seller: Mark D. Kamins
Date: 06/04/18

78 Chestnut St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Robert J. Powers
Seller: Edward L. Malinowski
Date: 06/14/18

8 School St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Katherine S. Knapp
Seller: FNMA
Date: 06/08/18

HUNTINGTON

68 County Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $352,000
Buyer: Sarah J. Pringle
Seller: Casey J. Mitchell
Date: 06/14/18

15 Mountain View
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $146,500
Buyer: Norwich Properties LLC
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 06/08/18

171 Worthington Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Joshua S. Parsons
Seller: Timothy D. Doherty
Date: 06/04/18

MIDDLEFIELD

57 East River Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $302,000
Buyer: Alfonso J. Longobardi
Seller: Judith E. White
Date: 06/08/18

NORTHAMPTON

88 Autumn Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Josiah Friedberg
Seller: Steven Friedberg
Date: 06/05/18

218 Elm St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Stephen R. Watson
Seller: Kenneth C. Hellman
Date: 06/15/18

36 Forbes Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $445,115
Buyer: Matthew Czaplinski
Seller: Nancy W. Keyes
Date: 06/15/18

8 Garfield Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Mary J. Sondrini
Seller: Mary C. Skinner
Date: 06/15/18

29 Munroe St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $660,000
Buyer: Martha T. McCluskey
Seller: Erich Husemoller
Date: 06/11/18

190 North Elm St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $419,900
Buyer: Jaycelle M. Pequet
Seller: Lindsay R. Barron
Date: 06/11/18

61 Ridgewood Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Myers
Seller: Kim Y. Dionne
Date: 06/04/18

944 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joyce Duso
Seller: Christopher R. Aller
Date: 06/05/18

113 Sandy Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Bridget C. Pinsonneault
Seller: Kelly A. Rose
Date: 06/08/18

14 Straw Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Laura E. Carlton
Seller: Jo-Anna Ross
Date: 06/11/18

22 Swan St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $337,000
Buyer: James N. Lobley
Seller: Julia A. Johnson
Date: 06/07/18

625 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $366,000
Buyer: Rachel S. Simpson
Seller: Thomas B. Malsbury
Date: 06/11/18

PLAINFIELD

73 South Union St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: Jerry H. Little
Seller: Patricia G. Morrill
Date: 06/12/18

West St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Massachusetts Audubon Society
Seller: Mary A. O’Brien LT
Date: 06/15/18

SOUTH HADLEY

26 Lamb St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Kevin Haczynski
Seller: SDJ Realty LLC
Date: 06/15/18

98 Morgan St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: David Barthelette
Seller: Marcela Bustamante
Date: 06/08/18

231 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Bozena Welborne
Seller: Jake R. Blais
Date: 06/15/18

7 Roundelay Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Sarah K. Nystrom
Seller: Elizabeth A. Innocent
Date: 06/08/18

31 South St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: RB Homes LLC
Seller: Alison M. Lapierre
Date: 06/11/18

10 Spring St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Friscia
Seller: 4 Seasons Property Maintenance
Date: 06/14/18

SOUTHAMPTON

133 Middle Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Lori D. Reynolds
Date: 06/13/18

24 Mountain View Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John Kennedy-Twyford
Seller: Ryan Hollister
Date: 06/15/18

WARE

50 Bacon Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Nathaniel A. Prince
Seller: Stewart M. Scoles
Date: 06/15/18

6 Gwen Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $228,800
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Steven G. Kiel
Date: 06/13/18

14 Lee Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Warren M. Coughlin
Seller: Louis J. Supczak
Date: 06/08/18

19 Maple Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $138,900
Buyer: Gary W. Aiken
Seller: Ahmad N. Almoula
Date: 06/06/18

181 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Megan K. Scott
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 06/05/18

4 Moriarty Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Maximino Gonzalez
Seller: Joseph A. Companion
Date: 06/07/18

66 Pleasant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Kelsi Lopes
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 06/14/18

WILLIAMSBURG

5 Kingsley Ave.
Williamsburg, MA 01060
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Chelynn Tetreault
Seller: Sara A. Sullivan LT
Date: 06/05/18

1 Myrtle St.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Elizabeth C. Mathews
Seller: Allan L. Kidston
Date: 06/15/18

WORTHINGTON

265 Ridge Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: James A. Ryan
Seller: Joan M. Mendieta
Date: 06/04/18

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the months of May and June 2018.

AGAWAM

ICNE Group Realty, LLC
1070 Suffield St.
$81,500 — Modify wall locations, renovate two rooms, and new finishes in six rooms

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield
823-835 Main St.
$16,500 — Roofing

AMHERST

Amherst College
Mead Art Building
$15,000 — Move existing door in restroom

Amherst College
Webster Hall
$40,000 — Paint, replace carpet, and lighting fixtures in classroom

Gleason Johndrow Rentals, LLC
10 University Dr.
$8,000 — Remove wall in kitchen of the Hangar, install new steel door for trash removal

PVP Holdings, LLC
30 Boltwood Walk
$65,000 — Remodel interior finishes, new bar construction

CHICOPEE

James Costigan Sr., Janice Costigan
32-34 Roosevelt Ave.
$17,500 — Remove and rebuild front-porch floor

Crown Atlantic Co., LLC
514 Montgomery St.
$30,000 — Verizon Wireless to remove antennas and replace with new antennas and ancillary equipment

Rene Fagnant
728 Grattan St.
$10,925 — Frame and sheetrock interior, replace doors

EASTHAMPTON

Autumn Properties, LLC
221 Northampton St.
$69,000 — Install ductwork for two HVAC units and refrigerant piping for Cumberland Farms

CH Realty VII CG Mact Bird, LLC
124 Northampton St.
$98,000 — Build addition to rear of car wash

Williston Northampton School
40-50 Park St.
$114,000 — Roofing

NORTHAMPTON

City of Northampton
125 Locust St.
$28,152 — Remove and replace garage door for DPW

Malvern Panalytical
22 Industrial Dr.
$1,000 — Replace window

Nonotuck Mill, LLC
296 Nonotuck St.
$3,000 — Add three partitions
Northampton Golf
135 Main St.
$2,500 — Non-illuminated monument sign

Smith College
102 Lower College Lane
$16,000 — Upgrade interior finishes in Ainsworth Gym, including ceiling, paint, flooring, and lockers

Suher Properties, LLC
76 Pleasant St.
$15,000 — Remove ceiling and wall partitions

SPRINGFIELD

143 Main Street Realty Corp.
125 Main St.
$60,000 — Install 12 roof-mounted panel antennas, microwave dish, and one GPS antenna

3640 Main Street, LLP
3640 Main St.
Alter medical office tenant space for New England Retinal Consultants

Blue Tarp Redevelopment, LLC
12 MGM Way
$343,328.80 — Tenant fit-out for Starbucks at MGM Springfield

Industry Avenue Holdings, LLC
66 Industry Ave.
$54,800 — Alter warehouse and office space for Refco Manufacturing

MassMutual
1295 State St.
$260,000 — Alter existing women’s restroom

Springfield Boys Club
481 Carew St.
$405,795 — Install roof-mounted solar panels

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$30,390 — Interior demolition for future buildout of Dunkin’ Donuts in Springfield College Campus Union

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$15,000 — Alter office space

Springfield Redevelopment Authority
55 Frank B. Murray St.
$200,000 — Alter space for community space and office areas on second floor of Union Station

Trident Alloys Inc.
181 Abbe Ave.
$481,500 — Add rooftop solar panels to commercial building

WEST SPRINGFIELD

CH Realty VII CG Mact Bird, LLC
1130 Riverdale St.
$15,000 — Exterior modifications, new entry arcade

Costco Wholesale
119 Daggett Dr.
$234,239 — Remodel restrooms

Coyote Realty
117 Park Ave.
$17,800 — Fire-protection system

Garrett Distefano
431 Gooseberry Road
$10,000 — Porch roof, pour concrete slab under porch, install new doors