Day: July 16, 2018

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — KeyBank recently announced the addition of new retail leaders in markets across Connecticut and Massachusetts. Locally, Brandon Ojakian joined KeyBank with the title of vice president and area retail leader in the Northern Conn. and Western Mass. markets.

Ojakian has 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry. He joins KeyBank from Santander Bank, where he served as a district executive leading branch teams in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Prior to Santander, he led several retail regions for Citizens Bank.

In his role with KeyBank, he provides leadership to branch teams serving customers in the Windsor, South Windsor, East Windsor, and Enfield branches in Connecticut, and the West Springfield, East Longmeadow, Feeding Hills, Holyoke, Ludlow, Riverdale, Southwick, and Westfield branches in Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Albertus Magnus College.

NORTHAMPTON — In late July, Thornes Marketplace will refurbish and expand an historic window assemblage, installing six new stained-glass window panels designed by a local artist on the Chestnut Staircase behind Share coffee shop.

Heather McLean, owner of Dragonfly Stained Glass Studio in Easthampton, was commissioned to design the panels, which are part of an elaborate, two-and-a-half-story window grouping.

Each new arts-and-crafts-style panel created by McLean is identical, measuring four feet high by two feet wide. They combine bold orange squares with deep blue edging and long, vertical, pale-yellow highlights, and all six windows together will fill a space that is roughly eight feet high by six feet wide.

Above McLean’s stained-glass windows, three tiers of windows original to the building — one overarching transom window and two tiers of oblong windows — will be cleaned, painted, and reinstalled to further refresh the entire collection.

McLean’s panels replace three original stained-glass windows that could not be restored; they will be cleaned, refurbished, and hung in the building at a later date as an art sculpture, said Jon McGee, Thornes facilities manager.

Over the past 10 years, Thornes has taken on a series of major renovations to improve and enhance the eclectic shopping center, including the recreation by a Vermont artist of stained-glass window panels along the Grand Staircase a few years ago.

“We really liked the way it looked. We felt like we were adding to the historic authenticity of the building,” said McGee, noting that, when Thornes leaders got ready to refresh the Chestnut Staircase assembly, they preferred to work with a local artist.

Familiar with McLean and her work, Marketing Manager Jody Doele referred McLean to McGee and Richard Madowitz, Thornes owner and property manager.

Installation of all new window panels is expected to occur in late July and will not disrupt business. Shops will be open and accessible during normal business hours; visitors are encouraged to use the main staircase.

SPRINGFIELD — Google continued its Grow with Google tour in Springfield last week by announcing a sponsorship for FutureWorks Career Center totalling $100,000. The sponsorship will help FutureWorks deepen its available resources to prepare active job seekers with the digital skills necessary to obtain jobs and succeed in the workforce.

FutureWorks will deploy Google’s Applied Digital Skills Curriculum its diverse group of youth and adult job seekers over the course of a year. Some of its staff will also be trained on Google for Jobs and teach active job seekers how to use the online platform to streamline their job search.

“I am very pleased that Google has brought its exciting Grow with Google initiative to the city of Springfield. This digital training program will benefit many small businesses, job seekers, and students in Western and Central Massachusetts,” said U.S. Rep. Richard Neal.​

Launched in October 2017, Grow with Google is the tech company’s new initiative to help create economic opportunities for Americans. The project is an extension of Google’s long-standing commitment to making information and technology accessible to everyone, and focuses on providing digital skills and learning opportunities to communities across the U.S.

SPRINGFIELD — This week, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GHSFH) will celebrate the end of its 30th anniversary, in partnership with the Home Builder’s Blitz program, by building a house to honor the visionary leadership of GSHFH’s past 30 years, including York Mayo, Bob Perry, Bruce and Ruth Pierce, George Burtch, Pastor Led Baxter, First Church in Ludlow, Ellen Freyman, Bill Mazeine, Neil Swinton, Walt Tomala, Jennifer Schimmel, Jason Tsitso, Karen Carlson, and Steve Gelling.

The house, located at 963 Sumner Ave. in Springfield, will be constructed in one week — specifically, exterior complete with interior drywall finished. This build is made possible with the help of habitat partner families, local construction companies, and hundreds of volunteers from the local community, as well as Guatemala. Funding was made possible, in part, through the Beveridge Family Foundation, the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, the Perry family, the Mayo family, the Lyons family, TNT General Contracting, and many more partners (for a full listing, visit www.habitatspringfield.org).

The Legacy Build Week activities at 963 Sumner Ave. kicked off on July 14 with the wall raising. The build will continue throughout the week from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, July 21 at 4 p.m., a celebration will take place, kicking off the 31st year with a proclamation from City Councilor Kateri Walsh, along with the blessing of three Springfield homes and their families, including 37 Bristol St., 1512 Dwight St., and 963 Sumner Ave. An ice-cream social and a tour of 963 Sumner Ave. will conclude the ceremony.