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INCORPORATIONS

By
Departments

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

BELCHERTOWN

Kac’s Corp., 67 Russell Ave., Belchertown, MA 01007. Katherine Currier, 67 Dressel Ave., Belchertwon, MA 01007. Travel writing.

BRIMFIELD

M.K. Fuel Inc., 4 Sturbridge Route 20 and Route 19. Brimfield, MA 01010. Anwar Afrede, 286 Middle Haddam Road, Portland, CT 06480. Gas station and convenience store.

CHICOPEE

Mick Euclid Corp., 27 Washington St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Michael Methe, same. Transportation services.

Szlachetka Dubay, P.C. 10 Center St., Suite 200, Chicopee, MA 01013. Stanley Szlachetka, 66 Airport Hill Lane, West Springfield, MA 01089. General law practice.

DEERFIELD

S.R. Marketing Services Inc., 81 Old Main St., Deerfield, MA 01342. William Moncrief, 2310 Central Ave., North Wildwood, N.J. 08260. Marketing and promotional services.

FEEDING HILLS

Organic Change Inc., 368 North St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Josephine Ann Smith, 346 Rowley St., Agawam, MA 01001. Non-profit organization established exclusively for educational purposes.

FLORENCE

Michael Kayne’s Family Restaurant, LTD, 176 Pine St., Florence, MA 01062. Kerry Ann Avezzie, 32 Berkshire Ave, Southwick, MA 01077. Family restaurant.

HOLYOKE

Ken’s Auto Sales Inc., 921 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Michael Cashman, 36 Indian Ridge Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Auto sales.

LENOX

Pilson Communications Inc., 25-B Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. Neal Pilson, same. Consultation services.

NORTHAMPTON

Pioneer Ecovalley Inc., 42 Day Ave., Northampton, MA 01060. Danielle McKahn, same. Organization established to promote environmental sustainability in the Pioneer Valley region.

Primary Care Foundation Inc., 378 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Joyce Miga, same. Primary health care private practice.

SPRINGFIELD

Ianello & Brittain, P.C., 55 State St., Suite 201, Springfield, MA 01103. Richard Ianello, 17 Woodside Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Law practice.

Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steak House Inc., 1380 Boston Road, Springfield, MA 01119. Wai Tin Cheng, same. Restaurant.

Project Progress Inc., 137 Barre St., Springfield, MA 01119. Nadhir Abdul-Wadud, same. Non-profit youth mentoring organization.

Samson Pharmaceuticals Inc., 52 Mulberry St., Springfield, MA 01105. Sherman Fein, 224 Longmeadow, St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Pharmaceuticals.

Shephard Security Corp., 191 Chestnut St., Suite 2C, Springfield, MA 01103. Dennis Cote, 55 Dearborn St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Commercial security.

Sr. Williams Resource and Development Center Inc., 132 Florence St., Springfield, MA 01105. Steven Williams Sr., 141 Florence St., Springfield, MA 01105. Non-profit organization for the purpose of making distributions to organizations that qualify as tax- exempt organizations.

St. Germain Investment Management Inc., 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115. Michael Matty, same. Investment management services.

St. Germain Securities Inc., 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115. Michael Matty, same. Broker-dealer transactions.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Sun Air Transport Inc., 57 Amherst St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Sergey Poddubchak, same. Transportation services.

The Car Spa of Western Massachusetts Inc., 115 Stevens St., Springfield, MA 01104. Michael Freedman, 71 Woodsley Road, Longmeadow, MA 01101. Cleaning and detailing of motor vehicles.

The Leather Guy, 149 Bolton St., Springfield, MA 01119. Carlos Arce, same. Automotive finish restoration services.

BANKRUPTCIES

By
Departments

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Alvarez, Marta
a/k/a Santiago, Marta
716 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Armstrong, Shirley A.
a/k/a Kelson, Shirley A.
47 Leonard St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Atkins, Ruth E.
414 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Barriga, Tamia C.
a/k/a Deza, Tamia C.
a/k/a Barriga Carvajal, Tamia Catalina
48 Holland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Beausoleil, Maurice J.
8 Bassett Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/09/10

Beebe, Paul Richard
Beebe, Lindi Ann
1188 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Benton, Benjamin J.
418 Meadow St., Unit D
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Bidwell, Marlene J.
32 Lower Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Bilodeau, Stacy M.
2450 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Blanchard, Allan W.
Blanchard, Marie E.
220 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Blaser, Donn L.
184 Daniel Shay Highway
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Boothby, Randolph D.
318 West St.
Randolph, MA 02368
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Brisebois, Robert T.
Brisebois, Dawna L.
35 Lyn Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Bristol, John David
17 Chestnut St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Brodeur, Judith S.
24 Holy Cross Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Brodeur, Robert W.
24 Holy Cross Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

C.M. Designs
Carlson, Laurence B.
Carlson, Catherine M.
258 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Cabana, Sandra Margaret
19 Briggs St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Caron, Luanne M.
87 Valentine Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Carrier, Brenda
3 Oakdale Place
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Caruso, Anthony Patrick
53 Morse St. Apt. 11
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Chauvin, Lisa A.
96 Monson Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Chu, Norman
a/k/a Chu, Norman Ting Yuk
58 West Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Coache, Heidi K.
43 Haskins Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Collura, John A.
Collura, Rita E.
201 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Colon, Ricardo
Colon, Evelyn
14 Beauchamp St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Corbin, Robert A.
12 Annable St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Covey, Kelly Suzanne
a/k/a Barnett, Kelly Suzanne
80 Damon Road #3302
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Dargie, Gregory J.
47 Broad St., Apt. D49
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Davis, Amy Beatrice
45 Franklin St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Decker, Juanita L.
42 Hillside Village
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

DeJesus, Mayra L.
35 Ferry St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Delgado, Sally
73 Cass St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Desrosiers, Christopher G.
Desrosiers, Jill A.
a/k/a Nicholson, Jill A.
18 Genevieve Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Dimino, Julie Kim
a/k/a Kilpatrick, Julie
144 Lincoln St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

DL Painting Service
Chiarella, Joseph
Chiarella, Emilia
63 Bayberry Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Drummey, Brian F.
Drummey, Marcia L.
67 Jacksonville Stage Road
Heath, MA 01339
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Duda, John J.
Duda, Caylah E.
144 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Dulude, Thomas Eric
Dulude, Jennifer Leigh
61 Granby Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

England-Horsfall, William Leon
England-Horsfall, Diane Lynn
221 Ashland St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Fadel, Youssef G.
Murphy-Fadel, Laurie A.
22 Puffer Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Figuereo, Solkeren
a/k/a Hernandez, Solkeren
11 Rush St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Florek, Jeffrey D.
Florek, Amanda N.
133 Lafayette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Ford, Maria A.
61 South Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Fowles, Jeffrey A.
Fowles, Linda J.
100 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Frappier, Steven L.
Kober-Frappier, Nancy A.
74 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Funk, Lindsay Carin
a/k/a Spencer, Lindsay Carin
12 Armory St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Gallant, Lori Ann
10 Carew St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Garcia, Agustin D.
Garcia, Janet A.
21 Emmerson St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/10

Giunta, Anthony
Han-Giunta, Sarah
460 South Main St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Goodwin, Mary C.
1105 Boardman St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/01/10

Groom, George Harold
Groom, Gina Ann
147 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Guernsey, Joan
111 Clover Hill Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Hall, Michael T.
Hall, Donna M.
55 Plumb St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Hammon, Scott A.
Hammon, Heather
10 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Hansen, Kim L.
a/k/a McCarthy, Kim L.
22 Wedgewood Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Harrison, Yolanda
a/k/a Hernandez, Yolanda
a/k/a Rodriquez, Yolanda
a/k/a Bonilla, Yolanda
a/k/a Correa, Yolanda
a/k/a Garcia, Yolanda
693 Main St., #13
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Hawkes, Donald E.
220 Barry St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Hearthside Elderhomes, LLC
Landers, Heidi M.
64 High St. North
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Hensel, Melanie R.
Hensel, Victor D.
332 Monston Turnpike
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Herbert, Constance E.
9 Beekham Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Herrick, Guilia Katherine
a/k/a Porter, Guilia Katherine
1079 North Brookfield Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Holbrook, Beverly J.
123 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Horsler, Michael G.
Horsler, Joan
a/k/a Devine, Joan
546 Plainfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Janocha, Celly
45A Cherry St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Kearney, Kimberly J.
a/k/a Swegan, Kimberly J.
68 Virginia St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Kennedy, Charles C.
Kennedy, Patricia R.
70 Yorktown Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Kennedy, Thomas
144 1/2 North Maple St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Kleer Choice Windshield Repair
Graveline, Robert C.
83 Tobacco Farm Road
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Labucki, Tara A.
a/k/a Labuc-Bushee, Tara
105 White St., Apt. #2
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

LaForest, Bernice J.
95 Old State Road
Berkshire, MA 01224
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Langaigne, Frances Ann
419 Montcalm St., Apt.#201
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Lashway, Earl Joseph
Lashway, Dawna Lynn
a/k/a Duford, Dawna L.
86 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Le, Phung M.
PO BOX 81301
Springfield, MA 01138
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Leavitt, Sandra K.
28 Miles Morgan Court # 2
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

LeGrand, Dennis Neal
19 Yorktowne Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Longey, Graydon M.
30 Argyle Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Lopez, Armando L.
118 Clifton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Lord, Elise M.
62 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Lucia, Andrew A.
44 Riverview St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

MacDonald, Shirley A.
400 Britton St., Apt. 211
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Mackenchnie, Jeff A.
Mackenchnie, Christine D.
a/k/a Palubinski, Christine D.
25 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

MacMillan, Alan J.
33 Highland Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Maher, Donald R.
Maher, Karen A.
24 Radner St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Mason, Norman J.
Mason, Mindy S.
253 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Mastalerz, Stacey A.
102 Cote Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

May, Karen J.
P.O. Box 165
North Hatfield, MA 01066
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

McDaniel, Crystal R.
29 Malcolm Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

McFarland, Harriett B.
57 Congress St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

McLaughlin, Irene
McLaughlin, William A.
P.O.Box 344
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

McLean, Michael D.
McLean, Teresa R.
5 Pond St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

McManus, Anne B.
124 Grandview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Medina, Yulissi D.
10 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Melbourne, Todd Sydney
Melbourne, Tracey Lynn
Watson, Tracey L.
1113 St. James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Mertzic, David Paul
Mertzic, Cindy Wanda
95D. St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Metzger, Joseph Michael
Metzger, Stephanie Noel
45 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Miller, Richard Bernard
Miller, Laura Finney
a/k/a Finney, Laura Townes
69 Franklin St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Millette, William Joseph
84 Debra Dr., Apt. 3F
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Monteiro, Karl A.
22 Warren Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Morgan, Ruth Elizabeth
20 Pomeroy Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Morrison, Jason M.
205 Baldwinville Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Motyka, Thomas Edward
Motyka, Denise
167 Carlson Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Nason, Rebecca L.
16 Greenwich Plains Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Nault, Steven A.
39 Glendale Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Northeast Metal Company
Kososki, Jeanne Barbara
521 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Ocasio, Roberto
123 Cross Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Odette, Rodney W.
PO Box 73
North Hatfield, MA 01066
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Paquette, Debra G.
a/k/a Fortini, Debra
12 Alice Burke Way #514
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Placanico, Vincent M.
15 Sibley St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Podolak, Nancy J.
172 South Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Popec, Darlene A.
P.O.Box 933
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Preston, Alice Kate
98 Wellington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Ramos, Marisol
29 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Ramos, Virgen
101 Lowell St., Apt. 8
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Rankell, Martin S.
95 Scace Brook Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Rivera, Carlos M.
90 Paramount St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Rivera, Carmen Maria
54 High St., #421
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Rivera, Maria M.
70 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Rivest, Jeremy Michael
Rivest, Rebecca Ann
a/k/a Brogan, Rebecca Ann
109 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Rodriguez, Luis A.
33 Wistaria St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Rodriguez, Sonia I.
32 Brentwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Romanovicz, Walter J.
Romanovicz, Emily M.
95 Nash St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Rosa, Elizabeth S.
13 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Rose Cottage Antiques
Beer-Rankell, Catherine J.
a/k/a Rankell, Catherine J.
95 Scace Brook Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Roussell, Mathew T.
260 Sanders St.
P.O. Box 283
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Ruiz, Teresa
149 Beacon Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Russo, Thomas
Russo, Tammy M.
112 Fiske Hill Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Ryan, Alyssa Anne
11 Whitman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Ryans, Crystal M.
50 Fox Wood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Salmond, Charles D.
992 Riceville Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Santaniello, Teresa
7 Amherst Ave.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Santiago, Angel A.
296 Oak St., Apt. 3-C
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Santiago, Pablo
P.O.Box 70635
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Schoenfeld, Jerome D.
93 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Scibelli, Judith A.
379 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Shyer, Robert F.
Shyer, Natalie D.
138 Brickyard Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/15/10

Slysz, Catherine E.
14A Beckwith Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Smigel, Ronald G.
873 Springfield St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Solek, Justin R.
9 Chapman St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Stanavage, Robert Allen
57 Lake St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Stewart, Renee M.
90 Lawton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Street, Victor L.
P.O. Box 3725
Springfield, MA 01101
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Stromwall, Steven Edward
172 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Sweeney, James Dennis
Sweeney, Diane Joan
34 Fred Jackson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Swenson, Anthony E.
54 B Russell St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Tanguay, Denise A.
82 Redfern Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Taylor, Jennifer
50 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

The Griswold Corp.
Depot Village Glass,
Griswold, Susan C.
a/k/a Haecker, Susan C.
34 Pierce St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Topulos, Timothy A.
25 Lagadia St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Treanor, Neal J.
81 Millard Road
North Attleboro, MA 02760
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Trierweiler, Bonnie S.
24 Lake Ave.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Uschmann, Edward J.
115 Bretton Rd
W. Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Vaudreuil, Cynthia Vedder
13 Clifford Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Vives, Carmen
a/k/a Vives-Vidal, Carmen
83 Daley St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Wagher, Adam John
6D Thayer St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Watkins, Connie S.
45 Bryant St., 2nd Fl.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Webster, Alan T.
24 Van Horn St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Wheelock, Marilyn E.
156 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Whitman, Mary N.
210 North Orange Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Wiesenfeld, Audrey L.
39 Walnut St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Young, Ralph Russell
Young, Patricia Ann
71 Glendale Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/30/10

BUILDING PERMITS

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2010.

AGAWAM

Shoemaker Self-Storage
444 Shoemaker Lane
$150,000 — Construction of a new storage facility building

CHICOPEE

Leclerc Properties
603 Grattan St.
$12,000 — New siding

GREENFIELD

Fenwick, LLP
111 Hope St.
$3,500 — Installation of six replacement windows

Girl’s Club of Greenfield, MA
35 Pierce St.
$4,000 — Installation of a kitchen hood

Greenfield Corporate Center, LL
101 Munson St.
$12,000 — Installation of interior partitions

Greenfield Farmer’s Cooperative Exchange
275 High St.
$7,000 — Installation of a metal roof

Northeast Biodiesel Company, LLC
Silvio O Conte Dr.
$75,000 — Foundation for a new industrial building

HADLEY

Pyramid Mall of Hadley, LLC
367 Russell St.
$2,200 — Replace ceiling

Vertical Assets, LLC
165 Russell St.
$902,000 — Pre-engineered metal building and finishes

HOLYOKE

Cabot Mill Realty, LLC
102 Cabot St.
$99,000 — Construction of new offices

Open Square Properties, LLC
110 Lyman St.
$54,000 — Enclose walls at salon and spa

Valley Opportunity Council
300 High St.
$401,000 — Facade renovations

Yvon Laduc
52 Main St.
$33,000 — Install new roof

LUDLOW

Verizon
131 Winsor St.
$133,000 — Alterations

NORTHAMPTON

Blue Sky Real Estate, LLC
269 Main St.
$1,400 — Ceiling repair

Clarke School for the Deaf
45 Round Hill Road
$3,800 — Install electronic security door in egress hallway

Joseph Edward Welch
264 Elm St.
$3,800 — Renovate two rooms in a dentist’s office

Paul E. Brown
1 Market St.
$5,000 — Non-structural interior renovations

PALMER

Robert J. Larose
543-545 Wilbraham St.
$25,000 — Construct addition for new office space

SOUTH HADLEY

Second Baptist Church
589 Granby Road
$2,000 — Renovation

SOUTHWICK

College Associates Inc.
800 College Highway
$300,000 — Construction of a new wing with sleep room

SPRINGFIELD

1350 Main St., LLC
1350 Main St.
$26,500 — Reconfigure office layout on the 11th floor
City of Springfield
1395 Allen St.
$206,000 — Exterior renovations

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$193,000 — New roof

Titeflex Corporation
603 Hendee St.
$1,489,000 — Construct new offices and restrooms

WESTFIELD

Governor’s Nursing Home
66 Broad St.
$60,000 — Re-roof

Little River Crossing
93 S. Maple St.
$3,400 — Minor renovations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

ATC Audio
89 Myron St.
$22,000 — Re-roof

H&P Realty
246 Main St.
$20,000 — Re-roof

United Bank
95 Elm St.
$15,000 — Renovate 720 square feet of space

Wingate Healthcare
42 Prospect Ave.
$925,000 — Renovate 8,254 square feet of existing nursing home

By
Departments

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Alvarez, Marta
a/k/a Santiago, Marta
716 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Armstrong, Shirley A.
a/k/a Kelson, Shirley A.
47 Leonard St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Atkins, Ruth E.
414 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Barriga, Tamia C.
a/k/a Deza, Tamia C.
a/k/a Barriga Carvajal, Tamia Catalina
48 Holland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Beausoleil, Maurice J.
8 Bassett Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/09/10

Beebe, Paul Richard
Beebe, Lindi Ann
1188 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Benton, Benjamin J.
418 Meadow St., Unit D
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Bidwell, Marlene J.
32 Lower Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Bilodeau, Stacy M.
2450 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Blanchard, Allan W.
Blanchard, Marie E.
220 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Blaser, Donn L.
184 Daniel Shay Highway
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Boothby, Randolph D.
318 West St.
Randolph, MA 02368
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Brisebois, Robert T.
Brisebois, Dawna L.
35 Lyn Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Bristol, John David
17 Chestnut St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Brodeur, Judith S.
24 Holy Cross Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Brodeur, Robert W.
24 Holy Cross Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

C.M. Designs
Carlson, Laurence B.
Carlson, Catherine M.
258 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Cabana, Sandra Margaret
19 Briggs St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Caron, Luanne M.
87 Valentine Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Carrier, Brenda
3 Oakdale Place
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Caruso, Anthony Patrick
53 Morse St. Apt. 11
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Chauvin, Lisa A.
96 Monson Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Chu, Norman
a/k/a Chu, Norman Ting Yuk
58 West Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Coache, Heidi K.
43 Haskins Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Collura, John A.
Collura, Rita E.
201 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Colon, Ricardo
Colon, Evelyn
14 Beauchamp St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Corbin, Robert A.
12 Annable St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Covey, Kelly Suzanne
a/k/a Barnett, Kelly Suzanne
80 Damon Road #3302
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Dargie, Gregory J.
47 Broad St., Apt. D49
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Davis, Amy Beatrice
45 Franklin St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Decker, Juanita L.
42 Hillside Village
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

DeJesus, Mayra L.
35 Ferry St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Delgado, Sally
73 Cass St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Desrosiers, Christopher G.
Desrosiers, Jill A.
a/k/a Nicholson, Jill A.
18 Genevieve Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Dimino, Julie Kim
a/k/a Kilpatrick, Julie
144 Lincoln St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

DL Painting Service
Chiarella, Joseph
Chiarella, Emilia
63 Bayberry Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Drummey, Brian F.
Drummey, Marcia L.
67 Jacksonville Stage Road
Heath, MA 01339
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Duda, John J.
Duda, Caylah E.
144 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Dulude, Thomas Eric
Dulude, Jennifer Leigh
61 Granby Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

England-Horsfall, William Leon
England-Horsfall, Diane Lynn
221 Ashland St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Fadel, Youssef G.
Murphy-Fadel, Laurie A.
22 Puffer Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Figuereo, Solkeren
a/k/a Hernandez, Solkeren
11 Rush St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Florek, Jeffrey D.
Florek, Amanda N.
133 Lafayette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Ford, Maria A.
61 South Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Fowles, Jeffrey A.
Fowles, Linda J.
100 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Frappier, Steven L.
Kober-Frappier, Nancy A.
74 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Funk, Lindsay Carin
a/k/a Spencer, Lindsay Carin
12 Armory St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Gallant, Lori Ann
10 Carew St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Garcia, Agustin D.
Garcia, Janet A.
21 Emmerson St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/10

Giunta, Anthony
Han-Giunta, Sarah
460 South Main St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Goodwin, Mary C.
1105 Boardman St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/01/10

Groom, George Harold
Groom, Gina Ann
147 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Guernsey, Joan
111 Clover Hill Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Hall, Michael T.
Hall, Donna M.
55 Plumb St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Hammon, Scott A.
Hammon, Heather
10 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Hansen, Kim L.
a/k/a McCarthy, Kim L.
22 Wedgewood Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Harrison, Yolanda
a/k/a Hernandez, Yolanda
a/k/a Rodriquez, Yolanda
a/k/a Bonilla, Yolanda
a/k/a Correa, Yolanda
a/k/a Garcia, Yolanda
693 Main St., #13
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Hawkes, Donald E.
220 Barry St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Hearthside Elderhomes, LLC
Landers, Heidi M.
64 High St. North
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Hensel, Melanie R.
Hensel, Victor D.
332 Monston Turnpike
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Herbert, Constance E.
9 Beekham Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Herrick, Guilia Katherine
a/k/a Porter, Guilia Katherine
1079 North Brookfield Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Holbrook, Beverly J.
123 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Horsler, Michael G.
Horsler, Joan
a/k/a Devine, Joan
546 Plainfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Janocha, Celly
45A Cherry St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Kearney, Kimberly J.
a/k/a Swegan, Kimberly J.
68 Virginia St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Kennedy, Charles C.
Kennedy, Patricia R.
70 Yorktown Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Kennedy, Thomas
144 1/2 North Maple St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Kleer Choice Windshield Repair
Graveline, Robert C.
83 Tobacco Farm Road
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Labucki, Tara A.
a/k/a Labuc-Bushee, Tara
105 White St., Apt. #2
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

LaForest, Bernice J.
95 Old State Road
Berkshire, MA 01224
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Langaigne, Frances Ann
419 Montcalm St., Apt.#201
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Lashway, Earl Joseph
Lashway, Dawna Lynn
a/k/a Duford, Dawna L.
86 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Le, Phung M.
PO BOX 81301
Springfield, MA 01138
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Leavitt, Sandra K.
28 Miles Morgan Court # 2
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

LeGrand, Dennis Neal
19 Yorktowne Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Longey, Graydon M.
30 Argyle Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Lopez, Armando L.
118 Clifton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Lord, Elise M.
62 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Lucia, Andrew A.
44 Riverview St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

  

MacDonald, Shirley A.
400 Britton St., Apt. 211
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Mackenchnie, Jeff A.
Mackenchnie, Christine D.
a/k/a Palubinski, Christine D.
25 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

MacMillan, Alan J.
33 Highland Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Maher, Donald R.
Maher, Karen A.
24 Radner St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Mason, Norman J.
Mason, Mindy S.
253 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Mastalerz, Stacey A.
102 Cote Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

May, Karen J.
P.O. Box 165
North Hatfield, MA 01066
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

McDaniel, Crystal R.
29 Malcolm Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

McFarland, Harriett B.
57 Congress St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

McLaughlin, Irene
McLaughlin, William A.
P.O.Box 344
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

McLean, Michael D.
McLean, Teresa R.
5 Pond St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

McManus, Anne B.
124 Grandview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Medina, Yulissi D.
10 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Melbourne, Todd Sydney
Melbourne, Tracey Lynn
Watson, Tracey L.
1113 St. James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Mertzic, David Paul
Mertzic, Cindy Wanda
95D. St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Metzger, Joseph Michael
Metzger, Stephanie Noel
45 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Miller, Richard Bernard
Miller, Laura Finney
a/k/a Finney, Laura Townes
69 Franklin St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Millette, William Joseph
84 Debra Dr., Apt. 3F
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Monteiro, Karl A.
22 Warren Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Morgan, Ruth Elizabeth
20 Pomeroy Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Morrison, Jason M.
205 Baldwinville Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Motyka, Thomas Edward
Motyka, Denise
167 Carlson Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Nason, Rebecca L.
16 Greenwich Plains Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/10

Nault, Steven A.
39 Glendale Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Northeast Metal Company
Kososki, Jeanne Barbara
521 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Ocasio, Roberto
123 Cross Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Odette, Rodney W.
PO Box 73
North Hatfield, MA 01066
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Paquette, Debra G.
a/k/a Fortini, Debra
12 Alice Burke Way #514
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Placanico, Vincent M.
15 Sibley St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Podolak, Nancy J.
172 South Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Popec, Darlene A.
P.O.Box 933
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Preston, Alice Kate
98 Wellington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Ramos, Marisol
29 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Ramos, Virgen
101 Lowell St., Apt. 8
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Rankell, Martin S.
95 Scace Brook Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Rivera, Carlos M.
90 Paramount St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Rivera, Carmen Maria
54 High St., #421
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Rivera, Maria M.
70 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Rivest, Jeremy Michael
Rivest, Rebecca Ann
a/k/a Brogan, Rebecca Ann
109 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Rodriguez, Luis A.
33 Wistaria St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Rodriguez, Sonia I.
32 Brentwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Romanovicz, Walter J.
Romanovicz, Emily M.
95 Nash St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Rosa, Elizabeth S.
13 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Rose Cottage Antiques
Beer-Rankell, Catherine J.
a/k/a Rankell, Catherine J.
95 Scace Brook Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Roussell, Mathew T.
260 Sanders St.
P.O. Box 283
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Ruiz, Teresa
149 Beacon Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Russo, Thomas
Russo, Tammy M.
112 Fiske Hill Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/10

Ryan, Alyssa Anne
11 Whitman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Ryans, Crystal M.
50 Fox Wood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7Filing Date: 08/13/10

Salmond, Charles D.
992 Riceville Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/10

Santaniello, Teresa
7 Amherst Ave.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Santiago, Angel A.
296 Oak St., Apt. 3-C
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Santiago, Pablo
P.O.Box 70635
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Schoenfeld, Jerome D.
93 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Scibelli, Judith A.
379 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Shyer, Robert F.
Shyer, Natalie D.
138 Brickyard Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/15/10

Slysz, Catherine E.
14A Beckwith Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Smigel, Ronald G.
873 Springfield St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Solek, Justin R.
9 Chapman St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Stanavage, Robert Allen
57 Lake St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/02/10

Stewart, Renee M.
90 Lawton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/10

Street, Victor L.
P.O. Box 3725
Springfield, MA 01101
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Stromwall, Steven Edward
172 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Sweeney, James Dennis
Sweeney, Diane Joan
34 Fred Jackson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/27/10

Swenson, Anthony E.
54 B Russell St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Tanguay, Denise A.
82 Redfern Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Taylor, Jennifer
50 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

The Griswold Corp.
Depot Village Glass,
Griswold, Susan C.
a/k/a Haecker, Susan C.
34 Pierce St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/10

Topulos, Timothy A.
25 Lagadia St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Treanor, Neal J.
81 Millard Road
North Attleboro, MA 02760
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Trierweiler, Bonnie S.
24 Lake Ave.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/10

Uschmann, Edward J.
115 Bretton Rd
W. Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/10

Vaudreuil, Cynthia Vedder
13 Clifford Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/10

Vives, Carmen
a/k/a Vives-Vidal, Carmen
83 Daley St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Wagher, Adam John
6D Thayer St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/10

Watkins, Connie S.
45 Bryant St., 2nd Fl.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/29/10

Webster, Alan T.
24 Van Horn St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/28/10

Wheelock, Marilyn E.
156 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Whitman, Mary N.
210 North Orange Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/10

Wiesenfeld, Audrey L.
39 Walnut St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/30/10

Young, Ralph Russell
Young, Patricia Ann
71 Glendale Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/30/10

By
Departments

Workers Paying 14% More for Health Insurance

WASHINGTON — American workers will pay about $4,000 to get health insurance for their families through work this year, 14% more than in 2009, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Employees’ average share of the premium costs for family coverage is $482 more than last year as economic conditions continue to push companies to pay less of the bill, the report said. Total premiums for family policies, including both worker and employer contributions, increased 3% to $13,770. “Businesses have been shifting more of the costs of health insurance to workers through premiums, deductibles, and other cost-sharing,” said Drew Altman, Kaiser Family Foundation chief executive. “From a consumer perspective, the cost of health insurance just keeps going up faster than wages.”

Executives Plan Moderate Hike in Professional Hiring

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Looking toward the final months of the year, 11% of executives interviewed for the Robert Half Professional Employment Report said they expect to increase the number of full-time staff they employ in professional occupations in the fourth quarter. Another 5% anticipate declines, resulting in a net 6% increase in hiring activity, up three points from the third-quarter forecast. Executives’ business optimism level remains high: 86% of respondents expressed at least some confidence in the growth prospects for their companies, rising slightly from 85% reported in the third-quarter survey. The number of executives citing recruiting challenges also rose, climbing from 42% in the third quarter to 47%. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to focus exclusively on professional-level hiring. The survey is based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 executives from a variety of fields throughout the U.S. about their hiring plans and general level of optimism regarding the upcoming quarter. “Companies that overextended their teams are now selectively adding full-time employees,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. “Businesses are hiring to keep service levels high and boost morale among team members who have taken on extra work in the past few years.”

Economy Needs More Than Modest Spending

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released personal income and outlays for July. Personal income increased 0.2% in July, similar to private-sector expectations, while real disposable income decreased 0.1%. Real personal consumption expenditures increased 0.2% in July and at a 1.3% annual rate from their second-quarter average. Consumer spending adjusted for inflation continues to increase at a moderate pace, according to U.S. Commerce Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Rebecca Blank. She noted that data suggests the economy continues to grow, as consumer spending accounts for 70% of GDP, although the economy is growing at a slower pace than the Obama administration would like. On a related note, many economists, including those at PNC Financial Services Group, say a boost in salaries and jobs will help grow the economy.

Businesses Offered Customer-service Training

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Business Assoc. (GBA) and the Greenfield Community College (GCC) Workforce Development Office are coordinating customer-service trainings for local business owners and their staff members this fall. The cost is free to GBA-member owners/managers and is on a scale for the number of staff per business attending. For businesses with one to five staff members participating in training, the cost is $10 each; for six to 11 staff, $7.50 each; and for 12 or more employees, the cost is $5 each. For non-member pricing, call (413) 774-2791. The owner/manager training is slated for Sept. 27 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the GCC Downtown Center, room 121. The frontline staff training is planned for Oct. 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the GCC Downtown Center, room 121. Business owners can reserve space by e-mailing [email protected] with the names of the person(s) attending and the business they are representing.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2010.

AGAWAM

Shoemaker Self-Storage
444 Shoemaker Lane
$150,000 — Construction of a new storage facility building

CHICOPEE

Leclerc Properties
603 Grattan St.
$12,000 — New siding

GREENFIELD

Fenwick, LLP
111 Hope St.
$3,500 — Installation of six replacement windows

Girl’s Club of Greenfield, MA
35 Pierce St.
$4,000 — Installation of a kitchen hood

Greenfield Corporate Center, LL
101 Munson St.
$12,000 — Installation of interior partitions

Greenfield Farmer’s Cooperative Exchange
275 High St.
$7,000 — Installation of a metal roof

Northeast Biodiesel Company, LLC
Silvio O Conte Dr.
$75,000 — Foundation for a new industrial building

HADLEY

Pyramid Mall of Hadley, LLC
367 Russell St.
$2,200 — Replace ceiling

Vertical Assets, LLC
165 Russell St.
$902,000 — Pre-engineered metal building and finishes

HOLYOKE

Cabot Mill Realty, LLC
102 Cabot St.
$99,000 — Construction of new offices

Open Square Properties, LLC
110 Lyman St.
$54,000 — Enclose walls at salon and spa

Valley Opportunity Council
300 High St.
$401,000 — Facade renovations

Yvon Laduc
52 Main St.
$33,000 — Install new roof

LUDLOW

Verizon
131 Winsor St.
$133,000 — Alterations

NORTHAMPTON

Blue Sky Real Estate, LLC
269 Main St.
$1,400 — Ceiling repair

  

Clarke School for the Deaf
45 Round Hill Road
$3,800 — Install electronic security door in egress hallway

Joseph Edward Welch
264 Elm St.
$3,800 — Renovate two rooms in a dentist’s office

Paul E. Brown
1 Market St.
$5,000 — Non-structural interior renovations

PALMER

Robert J. Larose
543-545 Wilbraham St.
$25,000 — Construct addition for new office space

SOUTH HADLEY

Second Baptist Church
589 Granby Road
$2,000 — Renovation

SOUTHWICK

College Associates Inc.
800 College Highway
$300,000 — Construction of a new wing with sleep room

SPRINGFIELD

1350 Main St., LLC
1350 Main St.
$26,500 — Reconfigure office layout on the 11th floor
City of Springfield
1395 Allen St.
$206,000 — Exterior renovations

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$193,000 — New roof

Titeflex Corporation
603 Hendee St.
$1,489,000 — Construct new offices and restrooms

WESTFIELD

Governor’s Nursing Home
66 Broad St.
$60,000 — Re-roof

Little River Crossing
93 S. Maple St.
$3,400 — Minor renovations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

ATC Audio
89 Myron St.
$22,000 — Re-roof

H&P Realty
246 Main St.
$20,000 — Re-roof

United Bank
95 Elm St.
$15,000 — Renovate 720 square feet of space

Wingate Healthcare
42 Prospect Ave.
$925,000 — Renovate 8,254 square feet of existing nursing home

By
Departments

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

Sept. 15: ACCGS After 5, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Springfield Marriott. Cost for members is $10, non-members, $20.

Sept. 23: Feast in the East-ERC, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by: Elmcrest Country Club. Cost: $25 per person. Call the chamber for more information.

Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield
www.springfieldyps.com   

Sept. 15: 17th Annual United Way Day of Caring. This event pairs volunteers with agency service providers to accomplish a variety of projects. YPS will again pair up with the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity and work on one of the homes currently under construction in Springfield. If interested in joining, e-mail Maureen Picknally at [email protected]

Sept. 16: Third Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hosted by Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. This event is free for YPS members, and $5 for non-members.

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com

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

Sept. 21: 13th Annual Table Top Showcase and business networking event, 4:30 to 7 p.m., Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented by the Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, and Greater Westfield chambers of commerce. Call the chambers for more information.

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

Sept. 24: Breakfast Series – United Way Program, 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Hosted by Franklin County Technical School, Turners Falls. Call the chamber for more information.

Sept. 25 and 26: Fiber Twist, an Annual Celebration of All Things Fiber in Franklin County,
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No admission charge. For details, visit www.fibertwist.com 

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

Sept. 8: Networking by Night Business Card Exchange, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Apollo Grill. Tickets: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

Oct. 1: Casino Night, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m, at One Cottage St., Easthampton. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org

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

Sept. 15: Holyoke Chamber Clambake, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Holyoke Country Club. Tickets are $26. Call the chamber to reserve tickets.

Sept.  21: The 13th Annual Table Top Showcase, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hosted by the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Call the chamber for more information or to reserve tickets.

Sept. 22: 2010 Pacesetter Awards Recognition Breakfast, starting at 7:30 a.m. Hosted by the Delaney House. The Pacesetter Awards go to exceptional small businesses and nonprofit agencies, entrepreneurs, and those advocates who make other businesses successful. Tickets are $18. Please call the chamber for more information or to reserve tickets. 

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

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

Sept. 17: NAYP Dynamics of Fleet Safety Seminar, 8 to 10 a.m., Union Station. Safety supervisors and fleet managers from all industries will benefit from this important presentation, led by Gerry Sousa, executive director of the National Safety Council’s Western New England Chapter. Participants will identify the daily challenges of running an effective fleet and learn the essential elements of a fleet safety program. Best practices for motor-vehicle safety, collision prevention, and asset use will be discussed.

Sept. 21: Meet & Eat, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for guests.

Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce
www.qvcc.biz
(413) 283-2418

South Hadley/Granby Chamber of Commerce
www.shchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce
www.threeriverschamber.org
(413) 283-6425

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

Sept. 21: “Rake in The Business” TableTop Expo, 4:30 to 7 p.m., Castle of Knights, Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented by the Chicopee, Holyoke, and Westfield chambers of commerce. Call the chambers for more information.

Sept. 24: Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce 104th Air Fighter Annual Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m. Hosted by the 104th Air Fighter, Barnes Airport, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield.  Guest Speaker: Ira Bryck, director of UMass Family Business Center. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Call the chamber for more information.

By
Departments

UMass Amherst Sees Largest First-year Class

AMHERST — An academically outstanding group of first-year students and the largest-ever class to enter the UMass Amherst has been welcomed to the campus, according to Chancellor Robert C. Holub. The Class of 2014, numbering approximately 4,500 students, was selected from a record 31,000 applicants. Maintaining its commitment to state residents, the university expects total enrollment of in-state students to increase slightly, totaling more than 16,000. Meanwhile, a larger number of out-of-state students, which has gone from 800 to 1,150, constitutes about one-fourth of the entering class. The academic profile of the incoming class is strong, about the same as last year with SAT scores of 1167 and a high school GPA of 3.61, added Holub. The demographic characteristics of the entering class are similar to last year. The percentage of African, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American students is 21%, and women make up slightly more than half of the class.

AIC Sees Growth Spurt

SPRINGFIELD — The first decade of the new millennium was a period of growth at American International College, and with the arrival of the Class of 2014, it looks like the growth spurt is continuing into the new decade, according to AIC President Vince M. Maniaci. He noted that, for the fifth consecutive year, overall undergraduate enrollment is at an all-time high for the institution. Since 2001, undergraduate enrollment has nearly doubled, and under Maniaci, the graduate enrollment figures have increased from fewer than 300 students to more than 1,600. Peter J. Miller, vice president of admission services, added that the Class of 2014 will come from 24 states and 10 countries including Canada, China, Afghanistan, England, Nigeria, Ghana, St. Lucia, Bermuda, Sweden, Japan, and Vietnam. Miller noted that nursing is the most popular major among the incoming freshmen.

Laboratory Receives Accreditation

WARE — Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, a member of Baystate Health, has been awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent on-site inspection. The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program. The CAP is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective medical care. The stringent inspection program is designed to ensure the highest standard of care for the laboratory’s patients, according to John Olinski, laboratory supervisor. Mary Lane’s lab currently processes more than 240,000 tests per year.

Balise Supports Glendi Festival Raffle

SPRINGFIELD — Balise Motor Sales contimued its strong support of the Glendi festival this year, sponsoring the grand prize of the event’s raffle, a vintage 1968 red Chevy Impala convertible. Proceeds from the raffle benefit scholarships and church programs of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Western Massachusetts. The Glendi Festival was staged September 10-12 on the church grounds on Main Street in Springfield.

Realtor Receives Green Designation

LONGMEADOW — Brenda Flower, a sales associate in the local Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office, has been awarded the National Assoc. of Realtors (NAR) Green Designation, the only green professional real-estate designation recognized by NAR. The designation provides Realtors with comprehensive knowledge about green homes and buildings and issues of sustainability in relation to real estate. As part of the course, Flower was trained in understanding what makes a property green, how to help clients evaluate the costs and benefits of green-building features and practices, and how to distinguish between industry rating and classification systems. Additionally, Flower received training on financial grants and incentives that are available to homeowners seeking an eco-friendly living environment.

Games2U Entertainment Franchise Enters Area

SPRINGFIELD — Games2U Entertainment, a state-of-the-art game theater and entertainment franchise, is bringing futuristic parties to homes, companies, and schools, according to Paul Jenney, who has launched a franchise in New England. Games2U features video games, laser tag, hamster balls, and more, delivered to the door of the party location. Jenney noted the franchise offers everyone the chance to have a “rock-star” party at an affordable price. Trained game coaches oversee the entire experience and manage each Games2U party throughout the event, allowing parents and event coordinators the chance to relax and enjoy the party, added Jenney. For more information, visit www.g2u.com.

$1M Grant to Enhance History Education

WESTFIELD — A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will help area school districts improve history teaching in grades 7 through 12 with innovative programs and new technology. The Center for Teacher Education and Research at Westfield State University collaborated with the Gateway Regional School District, the lead school district, to acquire the grant. The other participating public school districts are Chicopee, Hampshire Regional, Pittsfield, Westfield, and West Springfield. Also included in the grant program are the Amherst-based Veteran’s Education Project, the Westfield Athenaeum, and the History Department at Westfield State, along with the Historical Journal of Massachusetts, which is published by the university. The grant, titled “Memorializing Promise and Conflict: A Monumental History of American Democracy,” is part of the federal Teaching American History (TAH) program. The TAH grants program seeks to increase teacher content knowledge in American history, develop historical thinking skills, and develop strategies and skills in implementing content into the classroom. Funded projects for the teachers will include travel, book discussions, and work with the Historical Journal of Massachusetts.

MassMutual Earns Top Rating from Research Group

SPRINGFIELD — In Boston Research Group’s recently released 2010 DCP Retirement Advisor Satisfaction and Loyalty Study, MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division ranked first overall among all providers in eight key categories important to adviser satisfaction. Advisers rated MassMutual number one in “offers competitive advantages,” scoring 21 points higher than the industry average and seven points higher than the nearest competitor. Notably, compared to the norm, advisers who work with MassMutual have 42% more plans in force, have 54% more defined-contribution-plan assets under management, and have sold more than twice as many plans in the past two years, indicating that advisers who are heavily focused on the institutional retirement-plan market have identified MassMutual as a provider of choice. The nationwide survey of 649 retirement advisers was conducted from February to April 2010 and represents 20 defined-contribution retirement-plan providers. MassMutual was also ranked first by advisers among all providers surveyed for: wholesaler partners for success, participant education program, Internet capabilities for plan sponsors, Internet capabilities for participants, participant statement, seminar assistance, and product education for the adviser. Boston Research Group is a strategic market-research and consulting firm that specializes in the financial-services industry.

By
Departments

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

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Debra A. Wajda v. Price Rite
Allegation: Negligence, causing slip and fall: $20,194.55
Filed: 8/25/10

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Mandy Boutell v. The Maple Valley School Inc. and Windwood Meadow Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination by failing to accommodate a disabled person and handicap discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 8/20/10

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Caroline Dauplaise v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Allegation: Wrongful discharge of employment with Mass Turnpike Authority and breach of contract: $100,000
Filed: 7/27/10

Farm Credit East v. Rocky Mountain Wood Co. Inc.
Allegation: Action to recover on promissory note by sale of collateral: $894,254.26
Filed: 7/26/10

Immi Turbines Inc. v. LDH Inc.
Allegation: Texas court default judgment on underlying claims: $596,918.48
Filed: 7/22/10

John’s Trucking of Agawam v. Shawn’s Lawn Inc., RIV Construction Group Inc., and HD Westfield, MA Landlord Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction agreement: $561,827.23
Filed: 7/26/10

Lizbeth Rosario, administratrix of the estate of Carmen Velazquez v. Mercy Hospital
Allegation: Negligence and failure to properly diagnose, causing death: $2 million
Filed: 7/27/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Galex Inc. v. Precision Metal Goods
Allegation: Non-payment on aluminum purchased and received: $1,113,286
Filed: 8/20/10

Jack Ernst v. Berkshire Electric Cable Co.
Allegation: Breach of contract and non-payment on two promissory notes: $136,346.07
Filed: 8/16/10

Sona Dolan v. Holyoke Community College
Allegation: Employment discrimination and civil-rights violation based on national origin: $150,000
Filed: 8/2/10

TR’s Excavating and Landscaping Construction v. Landmark Health Solutions, LLC and Northampton Care Center, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of services, labor, and materials: $43,700
Filed: 7/23/10

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Bradco Supply v. Edward M. Casti Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $6,653.97
Filed: 7/22/10

Bradco Supply v. RPE Contracting Corp. Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $12,473.69
Filed: 7/28/10

Comcast Spotlight Inc. v. Beverly Golf & Tennis Club
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $2,234.45
Filed: 7/28/10

O’Connell & Plumb, P.C. v. Kushner Realty Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of attorney fees and services: $33,598.03
Filed: 7/20/10

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Mountainview Concrete Foundations, LLC v. W & I Construction Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay for services on construction project: $4,942
Filed: 8/23/10

By
Departments

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

BELCHERTOWN

Kac’s Corp., 67 Russell Ave., Belchertown, MA 01007. Katherine Currier, 67 Dressel Ave., Belchertwon, MA 01007. Travel writing.

BRIMFIELD

M.K. Fuel Inc., 4 Sturbridge Route 20 and Route 19. Brimfield, MA 01010. Anwar Afrede, 286 Middle Haddam Road, Portland, CT 06480. Gas station and convenience store.

CHICOPEE

Mick Euclid Corp., 27 Washington St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Michael Methe, same. Transportation services.

Szlachetka Dubay, P.C. 10 Center St., Suite 200, Chicopee, MA 01013. Stanley Szlachetka, 66 Airport Hill Lane, West Springfield, MA 01089. General law practice.

DEERFIELD

S.R. Marketing Services Inc., 81 Old Main St., Deerfield, MA 01342. William Moncrief, 2310 Central Ave., North Wildwood, N.J. 08260. Marketing and promotional services.

FEEDING HILLS

Organic Change Inc., 368 North St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Josephine Ann Smith, 346 Rowley St., Agawam, MA 01001. Non-profit organization established exclusively for educational purposes.

FLORENCE

Michael Kayne’s Family Restaurant, LTD, 176 Pine St., Florence, MA 01062. Kerry Ann Avezzie, 32 Berkshire Ave, Southwick, MA 01077. Family restaurant.

HOLYOKE

Ken’s Auto Sales Inc., 921 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Michael Cashman, 36 Indian Ridge Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Auto sales.

LENOX

Pilson Communications Inc., 25-B Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. Neal Pilson, same. Consultation services.

NORTHAMPTON

Pioneer Ecovalley Inc., 42 Day Ave., Northampton, MA 01060. Danielle McKahn, same. Organization established to promote environmental sustainability in the Pioneer Valley region.

  

Primary Care Foundation Inc., 378 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Joyce Miga, same. Primary health care private practice.

SPRINGFIELD

Ianello & Brittain, P.C., 55 State St., Suite 201, Springfield, MA 01103. Richard Ianello, 17 Woodside Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Law practice.

Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steak House Inc., 1380 Boston Road, Springfield, MA 01119. Wai Tin Cheng, same. Restaurant.

Project Progress Inc., 137 Barre St., Springfield, MA 01119. Nadhir Abdul-Wadud, same. Non-profit youth mentoring organization.

Samson Pharmaceuticals Inc., 52 Mulberry St., Springfield, MA 01105. Sherman Fein, 224 Longmeadow, St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Pharmaceuticals.

Shephard Security Corp., 191 Chestnut St., Suite 2C, Springfield, MA 01103. Dennis Cote, 55 Dearborn St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Commercial security.

Sr. Williams Resource and Development Center Inc., 132 Florence St., Springfield, MA 01105. Steven Williams Sr., 141 Florence St., Springfield, MA 01105. Non-profit organization for the purpose of making distributions to organizations that qualify as tax- exempt organizations.

St. Germain Investment Management Inc., 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115. Michael Matty, same. Investment management services.

St. Germain Securities Inc., 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115. Michael Matty, same. Broker-dealer transactions.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Sun Air Transport Inc., 57 Amherst St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Sergey Poddubchak, same. Transportation services.

The Car Spa of Western Massachusetts Inc., 115 Stevens St., Springfield, MA 01104. Michael Freedman, 71 Woodsley Road, Longmeadow, MA 01101. Cleaning and detailing of motor vehicles.

The Leather Guy, 149 Bolton St., Springfield, MA 01119. Carlos Arce, same. Automotive finish restoration services.

By
Departments

Something’s A foot

Downtown Springfield is quite a bit more colorful these days, thanks to the five-foot sneakers that have been on display since early August and the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The 19 sneakers, created by area artists tasked with capturing what makes Springfield great, will remain in their various locations in downtown and other parts of the city until October, when they will be taken down and auctioned off on Oct. 23, with the proceeds going to a fund to promote additional public art programs in the city. This sampling of the pieces of art includes (clockwise, from bottom right): a sneaker that recognizes the presence of Peter Pan Bus Lines and includes a likeness of its former CEO, Peter C. Picknelly; a colorful sneaker parked in front of the TD Bank Building; a sneaker called ‘Flower Power’; footwear that pays tributes to the city’s many libraries; a sneaker that pays homage to the city’s nickname, the City of Homes; and another that spotlights the Zoo at Forest Park and some of its tenants, past and present.

A Matter of Speculation

By
Cover August 30, 2010
Cover Story
A New Potential Developer, Renewed Optimism for State School Site

Cover August 30, 2010

Cover August 30, 2010

To date, efforts to redevelop the former Belchertown State School property have been met with only frustration and some embarrassing moments — the last lead development team bounced a check on the town as it proceeded with initial steps in the process. But there is renewed, if cautious optimism as another outfit, Pennsylvania-based Weston Solutions, goes through the due diligence process on the challenged but opportunity-laden property. Said a Weston executive: “Let’s look at the canvas, see what we’ve got. Then we can figure out what brushes and paint we want to use, and then we move forward.”

Bill Terry made a show of knocking on his wooden conference table when introducing the latest unfolding chapter in the redevelopment of the former Belchertown State School property.
Perhaps he did so because, after more than a decade of stalled or failed plans, the Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (BEDIC), current owner of the site, may have finally found the right people for the right job.
And that’s on both sides of the negotiating table.
Terry is the chair of the BEDIC, and he said Weston Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based remediation and redevelopment firm signed a letter of interest this past July, giving it full rein over all past documents, research, and findings from the BEDIC.
That letter of interest begins a relationship between town officials and the employee-owned Weston, and while the process of due diligence is carefully underway, both sides expressed reserved, and not-so-reserved, enthusiasm.
One of the Weston officials on the site these days is Valarie Ferro, senior technical director for the Northeast Division. She told BusinessWest that “there are many fine assets to the property.
“Yes, there’s contamination there,” she continued. “But hospitals are not a new thing to us. We’ve looked at many, and were involved in a couple in various roles. When we walked onto the Belchertown property for the first time, we had a pretty good idea of what the project might entail, and when we got here, it was, ‘yup. That’s what we thought.’”
And that’s the attitude that has local officials betraying their reservations on the potential for redevelopment of the property. A 50-year-old firm with a long and successful history, Weston is no stranger to projects of this magnitude and degree of difficulty.
Weston now has 90 days to assess the property and the scope of the job. The BEDIC, meanwhile, also has 90 days of due diligence on Weston to see if its capabilities and track record are in line with the town’s master plan.
Terry acknowledged that, thus far, he is “reservedly excited.”
“They didn’t just come in and say, ‘we’re interested; we heard about this property from a developer,’” he said. “Their approach is, let’s crawl before we walk, and let’s walk before we run, and make sure that there is a good fit here for all parties involved.”
While others have come before and failed, Weston Solutions is not, as Terry said, “just some guy out of the wooly West who says he’s a developer. This company, they know what they’re doing.”
The halfway point for both parties’ pro forma on this job hasn’t yet been reached. But in separate conversations with BusinessWest, the hope for all involved is to no longer knock on wood when talking about the future of the Belchertown State School.

Strength in Numbers
The last time a developer took on the prospect of repurposing the Belchertown property, a grand resort and spa was envisioned for the remaining buildings and land at the state school, comprising just under 100 acres. Famously, the developer bounced the deposit check for the job, and the BEDIC found itself bounced back to square one — no development, a blighted property, and scant opportunity for a project to move forward.
But that’s history, and what is unfolding has those involved far more excited about prospects in tune with the community.
The details at this stage of Weston Solutions’ examination of the property is purely within the realm of speculation, but Terry allowed himself optimism when expounding on the current players involved on both sides of the property’s negotiations.
For starters, Belchertown has a crack team in its court, and Terry said that, going forward, it’s not now just him and his colleagues, all of whom have full-time jobs in addition to their role with the BEDIC. “We on the board have talents,” he explained, not diminishing whatsoever the solid work he and his colleagues have accomplished over the years, “but it is good to have these professionals in our camp.”
Among those professionals is MassDevelopment, with whom the BEDIC has been in collaboration since this past May. That signed memorandum of agreement, Terry said, puts all the resources of the state agency into play for the Belchertown property.
“These are dedicated professional real-estate people and engineers — big players,” he continued. “We need only write out a request for service, provide some sort of budget, and they get right to work.”
In addition, the town’s state legislators are all on board with any and all help that can be garnered from Beacon Hill, and Terry singled out Sens. Stan Rosenberg and Gale Candaras, and State Reps. Tom Petrolati and Stephen Kulik.
“It’s finally the time where we have the right team assembled to make this happen,” he said.

Finding a Solution
Of course, those players are an important step in maneuvering the Belchertown project toward a positive outcome. But an ace team alone doesn’t get a project of this size and scope closer to a finished product.
Weston’s history of engineering, procurement, property remediation, and development spans several countries and countless properties that were in far worse shape than the Belchertown site. From complex wetland locations to defunct chemical plants, Weston has a stated goal of “zero tolerance for unethical behavior” while working within communities.
Ferro quoted her company’s logo at the beginning of her conversation with BusinessWest: “The trusted integrator for sustainable solutions.”
“We do integrate, we pull it all together,” she explained, “but before that, we sort it all out. It’s an art, and it’s a science, and it’s an art and science at the same time. That’s where developers stumble with blighted or underutilized assets. There are just so many components to these projects.”
Like the team assembled by the BEDIC, Weston has mobilized its own bevy of seasoned professionals. At the Belchertown property that day, Ferro, who has a background in redevelopment planning and community planning, said that in addition to herself, there are three others with specialized interests.
A green deconstruction expert, “not just a landfill expert, but someone who knows how to safely and successfully repurpose any material,” she explained, was on hand along with Weston’s LEED-licensed site professional, to evaluate the environmental aspect. Rounding out the team was the LEED green-development expert, who also happens to be leading Weston’s Northeast efforts in a green-roof technology company it owns.
“That’s just three of maybe four or five other components that we have to sort together,” she emphasized.
When asked about the complexities of the Belchertown site, Ferro said, “by and large we are attracted to challenges. The projects we take on, and are successful at, are where others have failed before us. Or they were just not interested because of the inherent difficulties.”
In addition to all those difficulties, however, is a site that she said comes with just as many, if not more, attributes. She described the brick buildings as “stately,” but it’s the landscape that holds more promise than other projects Weston has overseen.
“The rolling topography, the views, the fact that it’s also a very valuable critical mass of land … you don’t know how much we struggle when working in urban environments, and we have to cobble together eight or 10 property owners just to sew together three acres. Here, we have a great big glob of land, and the surrounding land use is compatible.”
That was a word often repeated in her conversation, and in which lies a core value for Weston Solutions. She said that’s a major difference between her firm and a more traditional property developer, which customarily has a book of clients and end users for projects of this size.
“For us, we might want it, whatever it is,” she said of potential use at the site, “but if it’s not compatible with the town, or consistent with our core values, then we don’t pursue it. We just don’t go there.
“And that’s why, frankly, there’s not a lot of talk up front for us right now,” she continued, “because we’re just trying to understand what the context is — both the town and the property. What’s our canvas? Let’s look at the canvas, see what we’ve got. Then we can figure out what brushes and paint we want to use, and then we move forward.”
That canvas, however, has some underpainting already.
When asked if Weston has been given an understanding on issues of core importance for the BEDIC, town hall, and the voting population of Belchertown, Terry stated unequivocally, “absolutely.”
“They have our master development plan, and they have the 43D plan,” Terry said, referring to the site work made possible through MassDevelopment. “Not only that, we’ve verbally told them what is important to us. We told them we’re not building a new town center here. We’re not being disrespectful, but there are clear things that the community wants and doesn’t want.
“Our development plan says no big-box stores,” he added. “Nothing against ‘Wally World,’ we all go there, but we’re not a community that wants them. Weston knows that too, and knows that we won’t entertain that idea. That could have happened years ago, but we didn’t want it.”

Sense Break
Looking ahead, Terry said the BEDIC has some clear hopes for what might unfold at the state school property. As a town resident with roots that trace back to the earliest settlers, he said that it is important for him, and many others, to keep that intergenerational component in Belchertown.
To accomplish that, he sees health and wellness, specifically assisted living, as a good use for some of the property. He cited a similar project in Ludlow that had designs on full occupancy five years after construction, but successfully met capacity in two.
Belchertown, he maintains, is a middle-class community with good schools and a strong commitment to public services. In keeping with that tradition, he said, is the need to “take care of mom and dad.”
An assisted-living developer has expressed interest in parts of the property for several years, he continued, but has lacked the resources to tackle anything beyond his own slice of real estate.
To further substantiate the possibility of a successful market for that style of development, he noted that several other assisted-living builders have looked at the site and weighed in with their own vote of confidence and an interest in buildable property.
In a separate conversation, Ferro brought up a similar train of thought, giving evidence to her prior comments on collaboration. Weston has looked at the conceptuals for wellness and assisted-living development on the property, and while one of the things it is doing during this period is “going with their gut feelings and considerable contacts,” she agreed with that facet to Terry’s vision.
“I really am attracted to their idea of inter-generational living,” she said. “Right next door there’s the police station, the teen center, and maybe some of this can be expanded so that it represents Belchertown as a whole. I think there’s real potential there.”
But again, she tempered her enthusiasm with restraint. “I think we all wish there was a CliffsNotes on what to do about the Belchertown property. We’re sorting through an enormous amount of information and just literally sopping it up like sponges.”
Just like everyone working on both sides of the project, however, restraint gave way to hope. “My gut feeling is that, seeing what’s there, there is potential to pull this off,” she said.
From his office in Springfield, Terry echoed that sentiment.
“We’re conservatively excited,” he said again. “It’s going to take a lot of care, but it seems like we’re working with the right folks, and this is the best shot we have had since I’ve been on the board.”
Noticeably, he didn’t knock on wood this time. n

Ten physical Steps to Protect Trade Secrets

By
10 Points Departments

In this economy, companies are trying harder to protect what they own, at minimal costs. Manufacturers do not want their confidential business information, their trade secrets, taken by desperate competitors or sold by disgruntled employees. Here are 10 physical steps businesses can take within their plants to protect trade secrets:

1. Identify potential trade-secret ‘leak points.’ Minimize exposure of trade secrets to them

2. Password-protect confidential computer files and establish secure storage files for hard copies of confidential documents.
3. Establish general and restricted zones within the plant. Confine all trade-secrecy development and utilization, where possible, to the restricted zones.
4. Utilize warning signs on all entrances to the physical plant to advise non-employees to utilize only a secure, monitored ‘main entrance.’

5. Utilize color-coded identification badges for external use by all employees during work hours. Have specific colors of badges correlate with permission to be within restricted and general zones of the plant.

6. Post ‘Authorized Employees Only’ signs at the entry to all restricted zones.
7. Use locked doors for all restricted zones. Make them open only by scanning correctly colored ID badges or ID cards. Some companies scan fingerprints or eyeballs.
8. Utilize painted, directional floor lines for visitors and tours to ensure they do not stray into restricted zones.
9. Screen all visitors by having them sign a log book. Some companies make visitors produce a passport or birth certificate.

10. Prohibit any photograph taking or recording by visitors.

Donald S. Holland, Esq. is the senior partner at Holland & Bonzagni, P.C., an intellectual property law firm based in Longmeadow; www.hblaw.org.

Agenda

By
Agenda Departments

District Attorney Candidates Forum

Sept. 7: Western New England College School of Law will host a forum featuring the candidates for the office of Hampden County District Attorney at 6 p.m. in the Blake Law Center’s J. Gerard Pellegrini Moot Court Room. The event is free and open to the public. The candidates will face questions from a panel including a journalist, a local criminal attorney, and a professor from the School of Law. The forum is scheduled for approximately 90 minutes. WNEC is located at 1215 Wilbraham Road in Springfield.

CORI Board Training

Sept. 14: The Berkshire Area Health Education Center is collaborating with the Mass. Criminal Systems History Board to sponsor training on criminal offender record information (CORI) from 1 to 3 p.m. at Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield. The training is for staff of agencies who are certified to request CORI information for non-criminal-justice purposes. A $13 fee covers the cost of the venue and refreshments. To register or for more information, visit www.berkshireahec.org   or call (413) 447-2417.

EANE Healthcare Conference

Sept. 16: The Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast will conduct its annual Health Care Conference from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Publick House in Sturbridge. A panel of experts, representing insurance carriers, brokers, health care providers, and legal professionals, will discuss the challenges of the changing health-care-reform landscape. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions of the panel. For more information on the conference, contact Karen Cronenberger at (877) 662-6444 or [email protected] .

Mountain Park Memories

Sept. 17: The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round is inviting area residents to take a trip down memory lane with an event called Mountain Park Memories, slated for 6:30 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. The event, a fund-raiser for the Merry-Go-Round, will capture the history and nostalgia of the amusement park located near the base of Mount Tom, which closed in the 1987 after operating for nearly a century. The program will include memorabilia, games, auctions, food stations, and music by Joe Canata & the Memories. Tickets are $45 per person. To order tickets, or for more information, call (413) 538-9838, or visit www.holyokemerrygoround.org .

Financial Pathways at Bay Path

Sept. 19: Intuition, creativity, and empathy are characteristics women can leverage to take control of and build their personal wealth. Bay Path College will continue its Financial Pathways series from 2 to 4 p.m. by examining these traits with A Purse of Your Own author Deborah Owens. Owens will highlight simple approaches to understanding investments and share the seven wealthy habits of successful women. The seminar is planned for the Blake Student Commons on the Longmeadow campus, 588 Longmeadow St. A question-and-answer session and book signing with Owens will follow the presentation. To build on the series’ philanthropic participation, attendees are asked to bring a gently used purse to the workshop as a donation to the college’s Professional Clothing Closet, which provides each undergraduate with one professional outfit as they begin their careers. Registration is required, and light refreshments will be served from 1:30 to 2 p.m. during event registration. Tickets are $10 each or $15 for two when signing up with a friend. To register or for more information, contact Mary Pajak at (413) 565-1115.

Sunday Brunch with Dr. Joy Browne

Sept. 19: Radio psychologist Dr. Joy Browne will be the guest speaker at a program, slated for noon to 3 p.m., sponsored by the UMass Amherst Family Business Center at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. Browne’s nationally syndicated daily radio show can be heard on the WOR Radio Network weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. A licensed clinical psychologist, Browne will answer questions about family, business, and family business. For more information on the program, contact Ira Bryck at (413) 545-1537, or visit www.umass.edu/fambiz .

Rick’s Place Open House

Sept. 21: Rick’s Place recently moved into a new facility at Kids Village, 35 Post Office Park, Suite 3514, Wilbraham, and an open house is planned from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. to introduce its services to the public. Established in memory of Rick Thorpe, who died in Tower Two of the World Trade Center on 9/11, Rick’s Place provides a supportive and secure environment for grieving families. Scheduled two weeks before grand opening day, the open house will raise awareness of the work being done by staff and volunteers. For more information, visit www.ricksplacema.org .

Springfield Developers Conference

Oct. 27: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield will be the setting for the 2010 Springfield Developers Conference, sponsored by the City of Springfield. The conference theme is “Innovate, Grow, Create … Make It Happen,” and will highlight opportunities to incorporate new technologies and innovative practices in the building, energy, and information-technology industries to improve one’s business. Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, contact Samalid Hogan at (413) 787-6020.

Get on Board

Oct. 28: OnBoard, a Springfield-based nonprofit, hopes to connect local organizations with individuals looking to increase their involvement in the community, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The event will take place at Center Court, where attendees will meet with as many as eight or more organizations. The meetings will be orchestrated using the ‘speed-dating’ format, with individuals spending a few minutes with an organization of their choice and, on the sound of the basketball buzzer, moving to the next. Representatives from each organization will discuss their history, mission, and goals, and what it is they are looking for in board members. Interested individuals will have the chance to explain what skills and interests they have to make a potential match. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Elizabeth Taras at (413) 687-3144 or Brittany Castonguay at (413) 737-1131, or visit www.diversityonboard.org .

Advanced Manufacturing Competition & Conference

Nov. 16: The first highly concentrated, cluster-centric, regional manufacturing conference of its kind will be held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The event, called the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competition & Conference (AMICCON), is being staged in response to growing recognition among area manufacturers and supply chain members that there is an urgent need to find and meet one another. “AMICCON was formed to identify who’s here in manufacturing, expose them to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and procurement, and to make these introductions,” said co-founder Ellen Bemben. “The ultimate goal is to be the advanced manufacturing region in the U.S., where exotic manufacturing, such as micro, nano, and precision, meet higher specifications and tighter tolerances, and short runs are the norm.” Industry sectors to be represented at the event will include plastics and advanced materials, precision machining, paper and packaging, electronics, ‘green’/clean technology, and medical devices. Business opportunities in defense and aerospace will also be highlighted at the event. OEMs and their supply chains are being invited personally to participate. “AMICCON is a new consortium on innovation that also delivers manufacturers to innovators and new markets in order to cause new business,” said Gary Gasperack, vice president and general manager (retired) of the Spalding Division of Russell Corp. “We are very excited about introducing it to our region.” The Mass. Export Center has already produced two programs for AMICCON: an Export Experts Panel, and a seminar, “International Traffic in Arms Regulations for Defense and Aerospace Export.” For more information, visit www.amiccon.com .

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies Departments

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Agin, Bryon D.
Agin, Constance L.
1 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Akey, Michael J.
Akey, Alissa M.
6 Dewolf Road
Montague, MA 01351
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Alvarado, Joseth del Carmen
a/k/a Moreno, Joseth C.
164 Colonial Village
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/10

Ansanitis, David A.
25 Maple St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/06/10

Arias, Carlos E.
Arias, Nancy C.
a/k/a Lopez, Nancy C.
101 Dorset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Austin, Eric S.
Austin, Tracy A.
13 Phillips St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Bashaw, Joan M.
17 Highview Dr., Apt. A
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Bechta, Leonard J.
Bechta, Sara L.
a/k/a Durocher, Sara L.
98 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Beckett, Herbert
70 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/19/10

Bedard, Theresa A.
233 Cedar Swamp Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/10

Bosworth, Bruce D.
317 Southwick Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Bowden, Roger C.
86 Sesame Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/08/10

Broga, Deborah A.
P.O.Box 518
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Bruno, Alberta A.
70 Powder Mill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Burgen, Paulette A.
594 George Hannum Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Burnett, Loida P.
41 Klondike Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Card, Lisa M.
64 Brickyard Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Carrigan, Michael T.
636 New Braintree Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Castonguay, Vaughn P.
216 Greenaway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Chartier’s General Carpentry
Chartier, Donald N.
59 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Cintron, Nilsa
a/k/a Almonla, Nilsa
a/k/a Jones, Nilsa
85 West Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Clevenshire, John J.
Clevenshire, Katherine A.
a/k/a Marceau, Katherine
22 Kingston St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Clough, Constance P.
P.O.Box 97
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Cogswell, Robert E.
PO Box 506
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Costella, Raymond A.
Costella, Michelle L.
37 Editha Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Crafts, Gilbert J.
428 Cummington Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Curley, Martin F.
Curley, Michele C.
96 Judson St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Davila, Juanita M.
6 Springfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/19/10

Derosier, Lawrence L.
Derosier, Kerrie L.
25 Mount Dumplin Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Dizdarevic, Suad
60 Colony Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/19/10

Drew, Alan P.
83 Pennsylvania Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Dust Bunnies Etc.
Seney, John A.
Seney, Tara M.
a/k/a Ploof, Tara M.
140 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Dyer, Nicholas C.
Dyer, Kristy L.
6 Porter Ave.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Errichetto, Stephen
Errichetto, Linda A.
61 Glenwood Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Feliciano, Mayda
14 Nashawannuck St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Finklea, Eddie
57 Bretton Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Fortier, Kathleen J.
Brown, Kathleen J.
24 Treehouse Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Gadson, Wesaline
P.O.Box 1815
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/12/10

Goulet, Beth M.
P.O. Box 123
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Graf, Debra M.
108 Trilby Ave., #2
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Graham, Timothy Adams
13 Sterling Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Hall, Courtney J.
252 West St. #2
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/19/10

Harms, Jean L.
22 Guyotte Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Harris, Frederick C.
Harris, Judith A.
43 Bates St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Hentnick, Todd R.
7 Crestwood Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/10

Hilbig, Mark C.
Hilbig, Tammy A.
47 Call St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Jaskulski, Joanne M.
51 Dogwood Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/06/10

Jones, Beverly M.
340 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Joseph, Ketty
35 Longhill Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Kania, Sheri Lynn
24 Shore Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Kendra, Kenneth A.
384 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Kindberg, Carl G
79 St. John’s St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/10

Kizis, Andrew B.
Kizis, Ann M.
672 Sheldon Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Knapp, Paula R.
106 Devon Terr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/10

Komlev, Vera
a/k/a Katko, Vera
15 Sarah Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Konopko, Krystyna
Konopko, Miroslaw I.
13 Lewis St., Apt. 2
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Kouniotis, John A.
60 Florence Road
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Koziol, Mario M.
46 Hadley St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Kraft, Kenneth A.
Kraft, Lisa J.
41 Lakemont St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

  

Kristek, Joseph J.
Kristek, Susan Y.
44 Strong St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Link, Jeffrey J.
294 Barker Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Loranger, Tommy P.
Loranger, Tarynn M.
37 Jerilis Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Lynch, Barry S.
62 Yorktown Court #62
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Madison, Glenn P.
P.O. Box 172
Chicopee, MA 01021
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Marchefka, Phyllis A.
37 Barton Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Millis, Rose M.
111 Meadow St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Mosher, Barbara L.
420 Main St., Unit 86
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/10

Motyl, Theodore S.
PO Box 491
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Nardi, Raffaela
31 Ardmore St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Nichols, Patricia
129 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/09/10

Nooney, Stephen D.
Nooney, Marianne
a/k/a Murray, Marianne
130 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/22/10

O’Connor, John P.
237 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104-2402
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

O’Meara, Robert J
1329 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Page, Virginia M.
Page, John C.
4385 South Athol Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Pais, Darla M.
a/k/a Allen, Darla M.
P.O. Box 253
Blandford, MA 01008
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Pelletier, Louis J.
23 Corcoran Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Peramba, Edward J.
Peramba, Pamela J.
313 Deerfield St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Pereira, Antonio D.
Pereira, Darlene M.
868 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/08/10

Perkins, Timothy P.
53 Oak Ridge Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Perry, Andrea L.
50 Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Peters, Gus
Peters, Deborah A.
P.O. Box 173
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Platanitis, Marc G.
81 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Reyes, Pilar
79 Perkins St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Reynolds, Robert M.
Reynolds, Tonya L.
111 Brown St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Roberts, Steven Dennis
Roberts, Shannon Marie
441 East Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/08/10

Rock, Kristal S.
PO Box 574
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Rock, Peter D.
2 Maplelawn Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Ruggeri, William D.
Ruggeri, Janine M.
P.O. Box 840
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Ruggeri, William D.
Ruggeri, Janine M.
P.O. Box 840
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Ryan, Floyd J.
Ryan, Marilyn G.
163 Munsell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/06/10

Sanderson, Mary E.
104 Burt Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Savage, Albert E.
50 Redfern Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/08/10

Shaw, Frederick Michael
Shaw, Carol Ann
P.O.Box 894
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Shear Designs
Carey, Norman C.
Carey, Theresa K.
3602 South Athol Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Shelley, Christopher P.
104 Caseland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Silakowski, E. Michael
P.O. Box 456
West Stockbridge, MA 01266
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Simoes, Rebecca Lynn
a/k/a Towne, Rebecca Lynn
130 Water St. #8
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Simon, Todd P.
Simon, Monique A.
85 Falmouth Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/10

Smith, Robert J.
Smith, Victoria M.
108 Blaine St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/20/10

Sumwalt, Bobbi G.
a/k/a Kijak, Bobbi G.
516 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/10

Tapia, Israel
355 Walnut St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/10

Tavarez, Aurelio
121 Eastern Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/26/10

Thomas, William L.
248 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Tiwari, Arlene F.
80 Murphy Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/22/10

Toledo, Juan M.
202 Lanconia St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/08/10

Trailing Edge Technologies
Harding, Christine R.
157 Chesterfield Road
Leeds, MA 01053
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Tremblay Electric, Inc.
Tremblay, Christopher J.
57 Harris St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Trott, Brian Alan
400 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Tsoklan, Inha V.
1329 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/21/10

Volino, Anthony A.
689 Skyline Trail
Chester, MA 01011
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/10

Washington, Kelly R.
837 State St., #411
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/10

Wheelock, Clifford John
506 Florence Road
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Williams, Katie Eileen
199 Millers Falls Road
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/10

Wilson, Audrey J.
a/k/a McGraw, Audrey
151 Pendleton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/10

Wing, Michael John
P.O. Box 846
Russell, MA 01071
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/16/10

Zebrowski, Francis D.
Zebrowski, Cynthia A.
186 Old Warren Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/23/10

Zimmerman, Katherine M.
64 Montague Road
Amherst, MA 01004
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/10

Briefcase

By
Briefcase Departments

AIM’s Business Confidence Index Stumbles in July

BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index dropped 5.2 points in July to 48.5, falling below 50 — neutral on its 100-point scale — after moving into positive territory in May and June. This is the index’s most significant monthly setback since it bottomed out in February 2009, according to Raymond Torto, global chief economist at CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. and chair of AIM’s board of economic advisors. Despite 14 gains in the previous 16 months, Massachusetts employers’ doubts about the strength and staying power of the economic recovery have been evident throughout, and those concerns are now coming to the fore, he added. Torto noted there are global as well as domestic issues in play; the fate on the euro, for example, will affect Massachusetts exports. The quarterly Massachusetts Consumer Confidence Index, released by Mass Insight, showed similar backsliding. Mostly due to concerns on jobs, the July Consumer Confidence Index fell 19 points to 61, its lowest level since last year. Torto added that weakening consumer confidence, nationally and here in Massachusetts, is a grave concern for employers because there can be no real economic recovery unless consumer spending picks up. AIM’s Business Confidence Index has been issued monthly since July 1991. Its historical high was 68.5, attained in 1997 and 1998; its low was 33.3 in February 2009. The Index was up 3.7 points from July 2009 and 4.1 over two years, but down 6.5 from July 2007. All of the sub-indices based on selected questions or respondent characteristics lost ground in July along with the main index, but there was marked variation in the magnitude of the declines. The Current Index of conditions prevailing at the time of the survey was off 2.2 points to 49.1, while the Future Index of expected conditions six months ahead plunged eight points to 48.1. The Massachusetts Index of business conditions prevailing within the Commonwealth fell 6.1 points to 41.7, but remained above the U.S. Index of national conditions, which lost 6.6 to 38.2. The Company Index, which measures survey respondents’ overall confidence in the situations of their own operations, was down 3.9 points in July to 55.0. The Employment Index held up well, edging off eight-tenths to 53.7, but the Sales Index dropped seven points to 54.4. Confidence was lower in July among manufacturers (down 4.3 to 52.5) and among other employers (down 6.2 to 44.2). Manufacturers were more likely to call current conditions for the companies ‘good’ (50% to 35%), were more positive about sales and employment, and foresaw less deterioration of conditions ahead. Respondents outside Greater Boston were slightly more confident (down1.6 to 49.5) than those within the metropolitan area (down 7.9 to 47.8). Employers of all sizes were less confident in July, with an especially steep decline among small companies. The monthly Business Confidence Index is based on a survey of AIM member companies across Massachusetts, asking questions about current and prospective business conditions in the state and nation, as well as for respondents’ own operations.

Former Mastex Site Chosen for Computing Center

HOLYOKE — After months of speculation, state officials revealed announced recently that the former Mastex Industries Inc. facility on Bigelow Street would become the site for a highly anticipated high-performance computing center. Gov. Deval Patrick, flanked by state and local officials, including Holyoke Mayor Elaine Pluta, U.S. rep. John Olver, and UMass President Jack Wilson, made the announcement, calling this “one of the most excitinjg developments in Western Massachusetts.” The project, which will entail an initial investment of $168 million, has a number of partners, including the state, UMass, MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Cisco Systems, and EMC Corp. Officials expect that the center will create only about 20 full-time positions, but that the computing capacity may eventually lure other companies and perhaps government agencies to the area.

Callaway Announces More Job Cuts at Chicopee Plant

CHICOPEE — Callaway Golf Corp. announced recently that it will substantially reduce its workforce in Chicopee over the next 12 to 18 months as it continues to expand golf ball and club manufacturing operations at its location in Mexico. The cuts are expected to leave the plant, which employed roughly 600 people as recently as the fall of 2008, with 150-200 workers. In a prepared statement, the company, Callaway cited a softness in the golf industry as one of the reasons for the move to Mexico.

Bay State Continues to Add Jobs

BOSTON — Massachusetts employers continued to add jobs for the sixth consecutive month in July, continuing a pace of growth that is well ahead of the nation’s. The state gained more than 13,000 jobs in July, while data revisions showed that employment growth in June, nearly 3,000 jobs, was far stronger than initially estimated, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The state unemployment rate held steady at 9%.

Legislation Reduces Health Care Costs for Small Businesses

BOSTON — Governor Deval Patrick recently joined legislative leaders and small business owners to sign legislation that could save small employers up to 12% on insurance premiums, increase transparency among providers and insurers, and improve the quality of health care for residents across the state. The law also makes small businesses eligible for savings on health care premiums, and will allow them to be able to pool their resources and establish cooperatives for the purpose of purchasing health insurance. As part of his efforts to control skyrocketing health care costs, Patrick has instructed the Division of Insurance to review rates from carriers using the Division’s existing authority..

Building Permits

By
Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2010.

AGAWAM

Bondi’s Island
190 Main St.
$77,000 — Construct a truck-loading building

Heritage Hall Nursing Home
61 Cooper St.
$7,000 — Storage shed

Insurance Center of New England
1070 Suffield St.
$1,100,000 — Renovate 13,000 square feet of office space

Robert Germano
13 Maple St.
$15,000 — Renovations

AMHERST

18 Piece Chicopee, LLC
15-17 Fearing St
$6,000 — Interior renovations

Amherst College Trustees
Garman Dorm
$8,000 — Exterior renovation and porch repair

Amherst School Department
1001 South East St.
$51,000 — New roof

Grand Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa
510 North Pleasant St.
$3,300 — Ceiling repair in party room

Miller Pollin Buildings, LLC
865 Belchertown Road
$27,000 — Installation of solar panels

CHICOPEE

200 Tillary, LLC
165 Front St.
$120,000 — Replace 522 windows

200 Tillary, LLC
165 Front St.
$35,000 — Sheetrock ceilings from first to the fourth floor

Chicopee Housing Authority
165 East Main St.
$257,000 — Strip and re-shingle roof

Chicopee Savings Bank
596 East St.
$158,000 — Interior renovation

Riverbend Medical Group
444 Montgomery St.
$265,000 — Renovate Pediatric office

EASTHAMPTON

Calvery Baptist Church
413 Main St.
$2,500 — Replace 5 windows

Interland Real Estate LLC
180 Pleasant St.
$102,000 — Create 15,000 square feet of space for a machine shop

Peter Peloquin
95 Union St.
$8,400 — Remove existing roof and replace

Robert Chunyk
51 Main St.
$3,700 — Construct new rear entry stair

Valley Programs Inc.
79 East St.
$5,000 — Enlarge window to comply with fire egress

GREENFIELD

Garden Building, LLC
361 Main St.
$67,500 — New roof

Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange
275 High St.
$6,000 — Replace loading dock area roof

Mark A. Zaccheo
30 Olive St.
$1,270,000 — Renovation of commercial building

Ninos Emmanuel
226 Federal St.
$14,000 — Installation of kitchen exhaust hood and fire suppression system

Park Place Realty Trust
80 Sanderson St.
$18,000 — Replace cedar shingles with vinyl siding

Spike Segundo, LLC
25-27 Bank Row
$3,000 — Add three walls for treatment rooms and doors for tenant fit-up

HADLEY

ALDI Inc.
337-357 Russell St.
$880,000 — Construction of a new retail store

Fastenal Company
220 Russell St.
$9,000 — Minor interior renovations

Parmar & Sons Inc.
37-41 Russell St.
$8,000 — Renovating entrance and framing out offices

HOLYOKE

Christian Celebration of Baptist Temple Church Inc.
375 South Elm St.
$5,400 — Change hatchway door, add ramp, and install smoke detectors

Holyoke Mall Company, L.P.
50 Holyoke St.
$122,000 — Remodel of Bare Essentials store

Holyoke Mall Company, L.P.
50 Holyoke St.
$388,500 — Remodel of Express store

Holyoke Mall Company, L.P.
50 Holyoke St.
$99, 500 — Remodel of Megan’s Treasures store

Kmart Corporation
2201-2211 Northampton St.
$328,000 — Construction of a new Taco Bell

United Water
1 Berkshire St.
$30,000 — Construct a new locker room

  

NORTHAMPTON

Academy of Music
274 Main St.
$101,000 — Interior renovations

CFP Properties LLC
320 Riverside Dr.
$9,000 — Emergency repairs

Edward’s Church of Northampton
297 Main St.
$5,800 — Stair repairs

Nonotuck Mills, LLC
296 Nonotuck St.
$40,000 — Construct interior partitions and two restrooms

Smith College
1 College Lane
$25,000 — Renovate interior at Sage Hall

Trident Realty Corporation
42 Pleasant St.
$41,000 — Interior renovations at Newbury Comics

Valley Community Development Corporation
41 Locust St.
$39,000 — Create new storefront

SOUTH HADLEY

Mount Holyoke College
50 College St.
$5,000 — New ramp at Porter Hall

Mount Holyoke – Shattuck
50 College St.
$200,000 — Renovations

Mount Holyoke President’s House
50 College St.
$315,000 — Renovations

US Industrial – E-Ink
7 Gaylord St.
$320,000 — Renovations

SPRINGFIELD

AT&T Services Inc.
194 Dwight St.
$432,000 — Remove and replace roof

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$10,000 — Renovate existing office space

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$80,000 — Open old office space to create surgical holding area

Baystate Medical Center
1550 Main St.
$645,000 — Interior renovations of fifth floor

Baystate Medical Center
50 Maple St.
$55,000 — Interior renovations

Mason Square Health Care Center
11 Wilbraham Road
$331,000 — Renovate existing space to create exam rooms

Mass. Development
1550 Main St.
$277,000 — 3,000-square-foot office retrofit

Mass. Mutual Life Insurance Company
1295 State St.
$293,000 — Installation of support panels for thermal solar panels

Reeds Landing
807 Wilbraham Road
$15,000 — Interior renovation in arts and crafts room

Three Rivers School
26 Ridgewood Ter.
$9,000 — Re-roof

Vincenzo Amore
497 Belmont Ave.
$3,000 — Remodel of existing restaurant

Western New England College
1215 Wilbraham Road
$103,000 — Re-roof of Old Blake Law Center

WMECO
30 Cadwell Dr.
$299,000 — Office renovation and new bathroom

WESTFIELD

Splitfinger, LLC
6 Coleman Ave.
$30,000 — Exterior renovations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Century Center, LLC
Union St.
$40,000 — Tenant fit out

Dasare Properties, LLC
191 Baldwin St.
$176,000 — Repair fire and smoke damage

Decorative Specialties International, Inc.
101 Front St.
$75,000 — Construct new entryway

Developers Diversified
935 Riverdale St.
$2,000 — Tenant fit out

Lyn Davies for Carter’s
935 Riverdale St.
$146,000 — Renovate existing retail space

Pintus
217 Elm St.
$3,000 — Renovate restaurant after fire

Town of West Springfield
135 Piper Road
$40,000 — Install replacement windows at the Water Department

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

By
Chamber Corners Departments

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

Sept. 1: ACCGS Business@ Breakfast — Making Chamber Connections, 7:15 a.m. to 9 a.m..
hosted by The Log Cabin.

Featuring guest speaker Tim Cahill, Massachusetts state treasurer and a 2010 gubernatorial candidate. Cost for members is $20; non-members is$30. Call the chamber for more information.
Sept. 15: ACCGS After 5, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Springfield Marriott. Cost for members is $10, non-members, $20.
Sept. 23: Feast in the East-ERC, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by: Elmcrest Country Club Cost: $25 per person. Call the chamber for more information.

Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield
www.springfieldyps.com   
n Sept. 15: 17th Annual United Way Day of Caring. This event pairs volunteers with agency service providers to accomplish a variety of projects. YPS will again pair up with the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity and work on one of the homes currently under construction in Springfield. If you are interested in joining our team please e-mail Maureen Picknally at [email protected]
Sept. 16: Third Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hosted by Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. This event is free for YPS members, and $5 for non-members.

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com

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

Sept. 21: 13th Annual Table Top Showcase and business networking event, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., at the The Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented by the Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, and Greater Westfield Chambers of Commerce. Call the chambers for more information.

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

Sept. 24: Breakfast Series – United Way Program, 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Hosted by Franklin County Technical School, Turners Falls. Call the chamber for more information.
Sept. 25 and 26: Fiber Twist, an Annual Celebration of All Things Fiber in Franklin County,
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hosted by Marketplace at Healthworks, Yankee Candle Village, Routes 5 and 10, South Deerfield. No admission charge. For details, visit www.fibertwist.com  

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

Sept. 8: Networking by Night Business Card Exchange, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Apollo Grill. Tickets: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.
Oct. 1: Casino Night, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m, at One Cottage St., Easthampton. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org

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

Sept. 15: Holyoke Chamber Clambake, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Holyoke Country Club. Tickets are $26. Call the chamber to reserve tickets.
Sept.  21: The 13th Annual Table Top Showcase, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hosted by the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee. Call the chamber for more information or to reserve tickets.
Sept. 22: 2010 Pacesetter Awards Recognition Breakfast, starting at 7:30 a.m. Hosted by the Delaney House. The Pacesetter Awards go to exceptional small businesses and non-profit agencies, to entrepreneurs, and to those advocates who make other businesses successful. Tickets are $18. Please call the chamber for more information or to reserve tickets. 

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

Sept. 1: Arrive @ 5, from 5-7 p.m. Hosted by the Snow Farm & The New England Craft Program,  5 Clary Road Williamsburg. Cost: $10 for members

Sept. 10: New Member Breakfast, from 8 to 9 a.m. Hosted by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. Call the chamber for more information.

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

Sept. 9: Party with a Purpose, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hosted by the Hotel Northampton. Free for NAYP members, $5 for guests. The event, the third birthday party of the Northampton Area Young Professionals, will be held outside on the Patio, weather permitting. If the weather is inclement, we will be inside in the Coolidge Park Cafe. Call YPS for more information.
Sept. 17: NAYP Dynamics of Fleet Safety Seminar, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., at Union Station. Safety supervisors and fleet managers from all industries will benefit from this important presentation, led by Gerry Sousa, executive director of the National Safety Council’s Western New England Chapter. Participants will identify the daily challenges of running an effective fleet and learn the essential elements of a fleet safety program. Best practices for motor vehicle safety, collision prevention and asset use will be discussed.
Sept. 21: Meet & Eat, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for guests.

Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce
www.qvcc.biz
(413) 283-2418

South Hadley/Granby Chamber of Commerce
www.shchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce
www.threeriverschamber.org
(413) 283-6425

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

Sept. 8: WestNet After 5 Networking, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hosted by: Shaker Farms Country Club. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Call the chamber for more information.
n Sept. 21: “Rake in The Business” TableTop Expo, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Castle of Knights on Memorial Drive in Chicopee. Presented by the Chicopee, Holyoke and Westfield Chambers of Commerce. Call the chambers for more information.

Sept. 24: Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce 104th Air Fighter Annual Breakfast, from 7:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. Hosted by the 104th Air Fighter, Barnes Airport, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield.  Guest Speaker:Ira Bryck, director of UMass Family Business Center. Tickets are #20 for members, $25 for non-members. Call the chamber for more information.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of September 2010.

AGAWAM

Alliance Medical Gas
12 Ash Lane
Chester Wojcik

Archimedes Heating & Air Conditioning
727 Silver St.
LeClair & Liacos

Assetdata
23 Wagon Wheel Dr.
Anthony Caggiano

Bob’s Apples
711 Mill St.
Robert Gaj

Car Connection
820 Springfield St.
Paul LaPointe

HSW Inc.
63 Springfield St.
Abdul Chaudhry

Nails 2000
1325 Springfield St.
Xuan Tran

Progreen Painting Asst.
92 Coronet Cir.
Michael McGill

Spirit Staffing
54 Dartmouth St.
Craig Skorupski

Westfield Enterprises LLC
503 Silver St.
Dr. Tatiana DiDonato

AMHERST

Adair Construction
89 Potwine Lane
Robert W. Adair Jr.

Amherst Stuffz
Keefe Campus Center
Stuffz Inc.

Plum Brook LTD
258 Potwine Ln.
Nancy Antik

Systems & Solutions for Chaos Control
66 Berkshire Terrace
Leslie Arrioca

CHICOPEE

Affordable Home Repairs
53 Beverly St.
Anna Grabarska

AJ’s Cabinetry
24 Cora Ave.
Adrian Rutkowski

D & J Management & Contracting
31 Richmond Way
Douglas Smith

Dream House Siding Company
45C Colonial Circle
Richard Boucher

Ear 2 Track
1 Springfield St.
James Kometani

K & D Stump Grinding
48 Arthur St.
Kazimierz Duchnowski

Sewing Creations by Mini Pearl
57 Lafayette St.
Brenda A. Diluzio

Squeaky Clean
104 Johnson Road
Melissa Daniels

Sublime Kitchen Designs
49 Fairfield Ave.
James Muse

Vitaly’s Mobile Auto Diagnostics, LLC
376A Chicopee St.
Vitaly Zhulz

EASTHAMPTON

Bethlehem House
152 Northampton St.
Pamela Hibbard

Core Spinal Solutions
66B Northampton St.
Darlene Orvieto

Hair It Is
94 Union St.
Michelle Denis

Koziol Farm
189 East St.
Ronald Koziol

Lisa’s Hair Shop
54A Northampton St.
Lisa Godin

M. J. Loomis Inc.
10 Loomis Way
Merritt Loomis IV

GREENFIELD

Bridget’s Book Keeping Solutions
396 Log Plain Road
Bridget Skiathitis

East Tibetan Stonework
131 Conway St.
Jamyang Jamyang

Od D. Scrubs
114 Wells St.
Debra Mathey

Nancy’s Cosmetology
1070 Bernardston Road
Nancy Steiner

Save Each Life
332 Deerfield St.
Dan V. Oros

Softworks
55 Mill St.
Jacqueline Brzezinski

HADLEY

Boisvert Farm
181 River Dr.
Joseph Boisvert

Creative Comfort Outlet
381 Russell St.
Josh Barina

James J. Pipczymski Farm
151 River Road
James J. Pipczymski

Jekanowski Farm
38 Roosevelt St.
Sally Jekanowski

New Hope Education Agent
102 Mount Warner Road
Chenghui Zheng

HOLYOKE

ABC Mini Storage
621 South Canal St.
Robert J. Celi

David K. Bartley, Esq.
98 Lower Westfield Road
David K. Bartley

El Sabor Caribeno
341 High St.
Norma I. Martinez

Evelyn’s Mini Market
399 Main St.
Leonardo Santiago

Highland House Design & Consignment
918 Hampden St.
Laura Daly — Kelleher

Highland Tap & Pizzeria
910 Hampden St.
William G. Skinner Jr.

La Favorita Mini Market
156 High St.
Luis. B. Colon

M & M Mini Market
869 Hampden St.
Rizwana Sheikh

Moon Day Cleaning Services
16 BayBerry Dr.
Elizabeth Collins

New Life Refinishing
15 Taylor St.
Joseph Zaitz

Pet Pillow
50 Holyoke St.
Omer Koyuncu

Rent-A-Center #01551
2253 Northampton St.
Alberto Carlos Rivera

Subway
50 Holyoke St.
Ngoc Minh Thi Le

LUDLOW

Gillespie Car Care
407 West St.
Brian Gillespie

KGB Performance Cycles
824C Perimeter Road
Keith Gefoffrion

Scott’s Sprinkler Service
58 Duke St.
Scott Fortin

NORTHAMPTON

Bill Fortin’s Resume Service
575 Bridge Road
William Fortin

Cellar Door
2 Conz St.
Megan Havener

Hampshire Financial Services
214 State St.
Robert Lowney

Karma
48 Main St.
Brian Aussant

Kevin’s Haircuts
128 King St.
Kevin Ovitt

Lamp Black Studio
36 Graves Ave.
Carrie J. Bergman

Luis Electric
1131 Florence Road
Luis Eliza

Valley Recycling
234 Easthampton Road
Beth Rossi

PALMER

Beaver Stumpgrinding Service
51 Fuller Road
Jason Keegan

DRS Painting & Home Improvement
2 Carter St.
Daniel Sheldon

Family Produce Market
1444 Main St.
Dylan Gamache

Jap-Latino Imports
188 Bourne St.
Michael Mulhollen

Lenas Salon & Day Spa
581 North Main St.
Helena Rua

SPRINGFIELD

42 Design Fab Studio Inc.
34 Front St.
Christine Catherine

  

5 Star Cleaners
634 Boston Road
Kyung S. Park

Allston Antiques
173 Bay St.
William Paul

Arecibo Fish Market
2550 Main St.
Guillermo Hernandez

Barranco Industrial Iron
99 Johnson St.
Santos J. Miguel

Bella Unlimited
182 Talmadge Dr.
Philip Marafioti

Brodowski Home Improvement
38 Fallston St.
David Brodowski

Cabrera Market
520 Union St.
Franklin Lantigua

Capitol One Building Service
47 Grand St.
Gideon Innis

Chester and Chester
866 State St.
Inez Chester

Dad’s Variety & Cuisine
1081 State St.
Earl Watson

Dan’s Odd Jobs & Deliveries
17 Eddywood St.
Daniel W. Kuralt

Delgado Home Improvement
21 Jefferson Ave.
Luis R. Delgado

Dr. Carl E. Skeene, Jr.
365 Bay St.
Carl E. Skeene Jr.

Elynxz
71 Wilcox St.
Zionette Vierman

Executive Parking
295 Allen St.
Yasir E. Osman

Fannie’s Fashions
190 Thompson St.
Henrietta Norflet

Forbes Graphics & Skystryde
460 Main St.
Jean L. Forbes

GR Consulting
68 Wollaston St.
Rose-Ann Gaskin-Rice

Grace Wilmont Events
567 Main St.
Tiffany Toney

Gulmohar Beverage LLC
711 Dwight St.
Shardool Singh

Health & Relaxation Location
803 Belmont Ave.
Yajie Bai

J & J Market & Deli LLC
1344 Dwight St.
Jose Duverge

Kevin’s Towing and Auto Repair
462 Central St.
Kevin Mitchell

L-A Auto Sales and Repair
118 Armory St.
Wassim A. Elkadri

L. A. Construction
16 Athol St.
Barbara Dobronski

Libreria Jireh
682 Sumner Ave.
Marisol Rodriguez

Mastercuts #1977
1655 Boston Road
Jon Alt

Newstand
1655 Boston Road
Khushal Gogri

Nino’s Pizzeria, LLC
674 Dickinson St.
Michelle P. Izzo

No. 1 Chinese Restaurant
2946 Main St.
Yong K. Lin

Phat Dat Seafood Delivery
103 Euclid Ave.
Phat Tran

Ponce Barber Shop
304 Belmont Ave.
Carmen M. Ruiz

Pro Stop Accessories
36 Amity Court
Angel Del Rio

Quan 113 Inc.
113 Vermont St.
Minh T. Nguyen

Straitway Bakery
2 Orange St.
Sharon M. Lee

Teresa’s Designs and Creations
571 Roosevelt Ave.
Teresa Hudson

The Creative Mind Agency
340 Main St.
Stephanie L. Kirby

Vipers Nest Ink Tattoo
1228 Main St.
Stephen Zepke

WESTFIELD

Bags Baubles & Chocolate
256 Union St.
Janet Allen

Crossfit Swarm
76 Elm St.
Brian Cook

Fresco Ristorante
487 West Main St.
Thomas Smart

George and Peggy Gary
104 Root Road
George C. Gary

Germaine’s K-9 Kuties
45D Meadow St.
Germaine Ruffo

KREW
14 Turnpike Industrial Road
Robert Kraus

L. Lafreniere Construction Company
14 Woodland Ave.
Louis Lafreniere

MBB Professional Services
592 Loomis St.
Maryann Burke

New England Coins & Collectibles
7 Day Ave.
David Fisk

Palmer and Palmer Inc.
596 Pochassic Road
Terry L. Palmer

Pikeside Automotive
300 North Elm St.
Bryan McEwan

Rovno Transport
720D Russell Road
Vadim Lezhnyak

Styles by Sara
174 Elm St.
Sara Dauphinais

The Spa at 41 Court
41 Court St.
Ellen Nasiatka

Universal Welding & Mechanical Contractors
321 North Elm St.
Matthew Montague

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Affordable Lawn Care
1022 Main St.
Joshua P. Ayala

Allied Pest Control
380 Union St.
Walter Misialek

Awakenings
380 Union St.
Adina R. Kullman

Bourque Real Estate
1233 Westfield St.
Bourque Group, Inc.

Cherry Computers
877 Prospect Ave.
Jason A. Rossmeisl

Days Inn
429 Riverdale St.
Patel Bros. Corporation

Dmemanual
1111 Elms St.
Jon S. Jasperson

Elm St. Flowers
82 Elm St.
Brenda E. Kostanski

Frank’s Auto Repair
25 Sumner St.
Francesco Demaio

Joe’s Automotive
104 Baldwin St.
Joseph F. Batakis

KM Curran Company
201 Park Ave.
Kenneth M. Curran

Left of the Loft
201 Westfield St.
Kathleen Veronesi

McClelland Health Systems
85 Interstate Dr.
MHHP Acquisition Company, LLC

Pleasant Valley Real Estate
865 Memorial Ave.
Dorothy Katsoulis-Philips

Prosthetic & Orthotic Solutions LLC
52 Wayside Ave.
Christian Rogers

Q PIN2S
885 Riverdale St.
Hannahneena Inc.

R.K. Trucking
64 Hill St.
Ruslan Kuychiyev

Red Light Lounge
125 Capital Dr.
Capital Liquors Inc.

Shtarker Moving & Storage, LLC
203 Circuit Ave.
Constance Ryder

Star Pizzeria
707 Main St.
Kenan Turkmen

The Dress
1632 Riverdale St.
Elizbieta Chmiel

TJB Construction
190 Day St.
Timothy J. Belisle

Incorporations

By
Departments Incorporations

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

BELCHERTOWN

Auction Shipper Inc., 442 State St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Aytac Camdeviren, same.
Shipping and receiving services.

FEEDING HILLS

AW Real Estate Corp., 74 Bessbrook St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Alfredo Improta, same. Real estate.

FLORENCE

Bidwell ID, 30 North Maple St., Florence MA, 01062. John Bidwell, same. Full-service advertising and marketing agency.

Click Workspace Inc., 109 High St., Florence, MA 01062. Ali Usman, 109 High St., Florence, MA 01062. Non-profit economic development organization through collaboration of entrepreneurs.

GREAT BARRINGTON

Ecaerus Inc., 80 Brush Hill Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Brian Sutton, same.
Consulting services.

GREENFIELD

Cold River Inc., 55 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Peter White, 55 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Retail store, sales of beer, wine, and liquor.

LENOX

Guenhwyvar Inc., 55 Pittsfield Lenow Road, Lenox, MA 01240. Michelle Vanallen, 24 Rotermel Lane, Kinderhook, N.Y. 12106. Restaurant and bar.

LONGMEADOW

Change in Action Inc., 184 Edgewood Ave., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Susan Choquette, same. Organization established to promote the ideals of respect, compassion, and mutual responsibility through the cooperative efforts of parents children and schools.

PITTSFIELD

1 Berkshire Strategic Alliance Inc., 75 North St., Suite 350, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Michael P. Daly, 14 Lynne Court, Lanesborough, MA 01237. Economic development agency serving the business community of Berkshire County.

Bella Terra Festival Inc., 1270 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jeffrey Schneider, same. Entertaining event planning.

Chestnut Tree Trauma and Attachment Center Inc., 150 North St., Suite 220, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Wendy Aunitch, 121 Edward Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Center providing therapeutic services to children, young adults, and non-offending family members who have experienced trauma or neglect.

SOUTHBRIDGE

Advanced Concepts in Tiles Inc., 43 Quail Run, Southbridge, MA 01550. Michael Paul Durocher, same.

 

Complete Technology Resources Inc., 317 Pleasant St., Southbridge, MA 01550. Jamie Stafslien, same. Computer services.

SPRINGFIELD

16 Acres Computers Inc., 115 Corey Road, Springfield, MA 01128. Mary Radogiewicz., same. Computer sales and service.

Bhutanese Society of Western Massachusetts, 67 Johnson St., Apt #1 Left, Springfield, MA 01108. Hari Khanal, same. Provides support for any Bhutanese family when someone dies, and for the treatment of any medical conditions as a result of an accident or major disease.

Charles Kearse Co., Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center, One Federal St., Bldg. 101, Springfield, MA 01105. Charles Kearse, 30 Bowdoin St., Springfield, MA 01109. Non-profit and business development consulting.

WASHINGTON

Harmony Building Consultants Inc., 204 Johnson Hill Road, Washington, MA 01223. Georgette Keator, same. Building and construction consultation.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

AAA Pioneer Valley Driver Training School Inc., 150 Capital Dr., West Springfield, MA 01089. Chris Mensing, 12 Echo Hill Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Automobile driver instruction services.

Bart Truck Equipment Company Inc., 358 River St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Martin Tourtelotte, 47 Wild Grove Lane, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Sales and service of truck equipment.

DSVT Inc., 81 Humphrey Lane, West Springfield, MA 01089. Valerity Kolodzinskiy, same. Transportation services for food, commercial goods and vehicles via flatbed, container and heavy-duty hauling vehicles.

Hannahneena Inc., 217 Elm St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Sarabjit Chawla, 3050 Mountain Road, West Suffield, CT 06093. Restaurant and bar.

WESTFIELD

358 Southwick Inc., 358 Southwick Road, Westfield, MA 01805. Rachid Messoudi, 14 Willard St., Apt. 1, Quincy, MA 01085. Convenience store.

Direct Auto Realty Inc., 300 East Main St., Westfield, MA 01085. David Dicienzo, 90 Southwood Dr., Ludlow, MA 01056. Purchase, develop, manage, and maintain real estate properties.

WORTHINGTON

Arts Alive in the Hilltowns Inc., 4 Sam Hill Road, Worthington, MA 01098. Mary Pulley, 128 Old Post Road, Worthington, MA 01098. Association of artists to network, promote, showcase and support artistic and cultural endeavors.

Picture This

By
Program participants
Departments Picture This

One Book at a Time


Program participants

Program participants engaged in a number of learning activities with youngsters there

As part of a program called “Putting the Accent on Literacy, One Book at a Time,” BusinessWest and its Difference Makers from 2009 and 2010 coordinated a book drive in conjunction with the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, which links young people with books during the summer months, when they are away from. On August 13, more than 500 books were delivered to the Dunbar Community Center in Springfield, where program participants engaged in a number of learning activities with youngsters there, including book readings, games, and even a play (at left) involving Rosa Parks and her famous decision not to ride in the back of the bus.


Sally Fuller, project director for the Cherish Every Child

Sally Fuller, project director for the Cherish Every Child

Sally Fuller, project director for the Cherish Every Child initiative for the Davis Foundation, one of the Difference Makers for 2010, listens intently as one of the young students reads Where the Fern Grows.

Gwen Burke, left, and Nikia Davis

BusinessWest advertising consultant Gwen Burke, left, and Nikia Davis, the magazine’s senior designer

BusinessWest advertising consultant Gwen Burke, left, and Nikia Davis, the magazine’s senior designer, engage several students in a game of Scrabble Junior.

Maura Geary, project coordinator for the Regional Employment Board and one of the architects of the literacy program, gets to know several of the students involved with the summer reading initiative.

‘Nathanial’ proudly displays the book

‘Nathanial’ proudly displays the book

‘Nathanial’ proudly displays the book he chose to read to BusinessWest staff writer Joe Bednar. Each child was given a book to take home.

Amazing Place

By
Kevin Perrier
Sections Supplements
Five Star Building Corp. Enjoys Taking On Tough Challenges

Kevin Perrier

Kevin Perrier says Five Star Building Corp. welcomes difficult and challenging projects.

It’s not often that a construction company’s work is so impressive that a church service is held to say thanks.
But First Churches in Northampton did exactly that to recognize the difficult restoration work done in their nearly 200-year-old cathedral by Five Star Building Corp. in Easthampton and its subcontractors. The project, which earned Five Star several awards, stands as a testament to the company’s willingness to tackle complex projects and achieve desired results.
Five Star’s focus is on commercial and public work, with an increasing presence in health care, often performing construction very close to where patients are being treated (more on that later). “What sets us aside from other companies is that, when we see difficult and complex projects, we say that we can complete them on time and do an excellent job, even though other companies may not want to take them on,” said President and CEO Kevin Perrier.
First Churches is a good example. The church had been closed for a year when Five Star was hired by Architects Inc. of Northampton to replace sections of the 70-foot-high plaster ceiling that were collapsing. The height, coupled with the fact that the church pews and ceiling are curved, made erecting and working on scaffolding a difficult and complex undertaking.
But that was only the first obstacle Five Star encountered. The firm quickly discovered that the walls of the church, built in 1826, were in very poor condition and needed to be replaced.
“The walls had plaster medallions with gold-leaf painting and stenciling on them set high in the peaks of the ceiling which dated back 100 years,” Perrier said.
Five Star began its task of historic preservation with the utmost of care. In order to preserve the 24-inch bands of artwork on the walls, workers photographed them, made plaster imprints of the medallions, and created molds. After casting new plaster replicas, artists had to hand-paint them with gold leaf before they could be mounted on the new drywall that had been installed.
A sand finish was painted over to resemble plaster, and a team of artists recreated the elaborate bands of stenciling that ran along the top and lower sections of the walls. “We had local artists there for a month. Everything had to be painted by hand,” Perrier said. “We also had the artists chip away the original paint to uncover the original colors, so when the parishioners came into the church, it looked the way it had in the 1900s. They were so taken aback that they held a ceremony to thank us.”
Although the project involved more than double the amount of work initially anticipated, Five Star completed it six weeks ahead of schedule. “It was a really touching moment when they thanked us,” said Perrier. “This is the type of project you can walk into and feel very proud of. This represents what we do . . . the level of detail and the talent of our staff and subcontractors. We may not be the cheapest company around, but we are competitive, and our quality is impeccable.”

Healthy Spaces
Just as challenging, however, is the work taking place on a medical office building on Locust Street in Northampton which houses a plastic surgeon’s office, operating room, and thriving obstretrician/gynecology practice.
“The area we are actively pursuing now is health care,” Perrier said. The work is exacting, and the standards are even more stringent, because the work is often done in hospitals or buildings where patients are receiving care.”
The Locust Street building is another example, like the cathedral, of a project that became bigger than origianlly anticipated.
“We were called in to do a small repair because a window was sagging,” Perrier explained. “But once we began, we realized the building was rotting from the inside out. The flagships had been improperly installed when it was built 25 years ago, and water had poured in behind the windows for years. All of the casing and framing was completely rotted and had to be replaced, so the project went from being very simple to very complicated.”
The cosmetic surgeon uses the operating room in the building, and a constant stream of patients come and go from the gynecology office, whose needs must be taken into account by Five Star’s staff. “At one point, we were literally hanging drywall while, two doors down from us, an individual was having facial plastic surgery in the operating room,” Perrier said.
He explained that, in order to make sure the medical practices didn’t suffer as a result of the renovations, Five Star worked seven days a week, doing some of the labor after hours and on weekends.
Maintaining the quality of the air in the building is another vital consideration. “We were there at 6 a.m. today doing air sampling,” Perrier said. “We have worked on one section at a time, setting up containment and negative air systems. Dust and debris control is crucial in any type of health care environment, and there is zero tolerance for any type of particulate to escape from the air containment area.”
Perrier said that encountering obstacles and producing quality work in difficult settings is an area in which Five Stars excels. “Our projects that really stand out have occurred when we thought we were going in to do a straightforward job, and it ended up being completely different,” he said. “That is where our staff really shines. They can handle the challenges.”
Five Star recently hired a construction superintendent with an extensive health care background to oversee new projects. “You are held to very, very stringent standards when you are working in health care settings, and having staff with that experience is vital,” Perrier added.
But hiring the best people he can find is a practice Perrier has adhered to since he opened his business, shortly after graduating from Easthampton High School. “I always liked building things,” he said, adding that he worked in the construction field during high school.
The name of his company came about because his father, Mike Perrier, already owned a business called Five Star Entertainment. Since Kevin was short on cash, he talked his father into answering the phone with just the words, “Five Star,” which covered both businesses. “The name has stuck because we really try to pride ourselves on quality,” he said.
At first, Perrier worked alone, building decks and renovating small kitchens. “But within eight months, I was so busy I hired a laborer, and by the end of my first year I hired a second carpenter. By the second year, there were five of us, and we continued to grow,” he said.

Building a Legacy
Much of the company’s work involves interior buildouts for commercial space in existing buildings. “We do renovations to suit the client’s needs,” said Perrier. “Two years ago, we completely remodeled the interior of the former Ames store in Southampton, which became a tractor supply store. We also built them a loading deck and did some exterior work on the building.”
Other recent undertakings include building a fire department substation in Orange and a LEED-certified library in Westhampton. Five Star is currently working on a number of projects that are nearing completion. It is almost done renovating the Southampton Town Hall, which was a former school. “We gutted the entire interior,” Perrier said, adding that all town offices and the senior center will be housed in the building.
The company is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and Perrier attributes that feat not only to quality workmanship, but to his aggressive stance. “I wasn’t one to sit back and wait for the phone to ring,” he said. “I got involved with the Chamber of Commerce and other community events. The first three years, I took my profits and sunk them back into the company with advertising and equipment. It ended up really paying off.”
Although Perrier’s initial focus was residential construction, about five years ago he began phasing out of that arena. “I wanted to grow, and it was difficult to grow a residential market, especially since I saw a downturn coming,” he said. “We had started to do more commerical and public construction work, and I found that was where my passion is. We enjoy complex challenges and timelines. It’s not even remotely close to the residential world, because it takes more highly skilled contractors.”
This year, the company expects to do about $10 million in business.
At the same time, Perrier believes in giving back to the community. His company hosts an annual golf outing to benefit Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. He is vice president of its board, and of the Easthampton Chamber of Commerce. “We care about others and about the work we do,” he said.
He added that he takes pride in the skill of the people who work for Five Star. “We hire the best of the best,” he said. One of those individuals is project manager Bud Korza, who joined the firm in 2007.
“It’s a young, aggressive company, and we take pride in our work and in customer satisfaction,” Korza agreed. “The whole construction business is a challenge, but we have been successful at the most challenging projects, which is due to a combination of everyone’s experience and efforts.”
After all, whether it’s preserving a nearly 200-year-old church or improving the environment for patients receiving medical care, there’s usually more at stake than just a building.

History in the Remaking

By
An architect’s rendering of the new data center
Sections Supplements
Tech High Project Is a Complex — and ‘Green’ — Undertaking
An architect’s rendering of the new data center

An architect’s rendering of the new data center, which will incorporate the façade of the old Springfield landmark.

The recently initiated work to build a data center at the site of the former Technical High School in Springfield is unique in that the façade of the 105-year-old building will be incorporated into the design of the $110 million facility. But beyond this challenging assignment, the project will incorporate a number of energy-efficient systems that will make it truly state of the art. Thus, this is a project that brings the past, present, and future together in one bold initiative.

Transforming the old Springfield Technical High School into a new and secure data center to house the state’s electronic records and serve as the backup for its primary data center is a complex construction and engineering feat.
A tremendous amount of planning has gone into the design of the new facility. It involves erecting a state-of-the-art 149,000-square-foot, energy-efficient building that will be connected to the front and side sections of the school’s historic façade. But the result will be something that not only serves a critical need; it will also put Springfield on the map.
“When it is complete, it will be one of the most energy-efficient buildings of its kind in the world,” said Kevin Flanigan, deputy director for the Mass. Office of Finance and Administration Division of Capital Asset Management. “It is a challenging project that involves a great deal of coordination and quality control due to its complexity.”
Although other data centers are being built across the nation, preserving the front of an old building and three window bays on its sides that measure about 30 feet in length, then incorporating them into a new building design is highly unusual, said Henry Cence, the on-site project manager for Skanska USA Building Inc., which was awarded the contract and has made data centers a specialty.
“It is something you don’t see very often,” he explained as he stood near the school, where water was being sprayed out from an upper-story window to keep the dust down.
Flanigan says the $110 million project is a major investment the Commonwealth has made to revitalize the State Street corridor. “It represents a critical component of our overall effort to bring new life to this part of Springfield,” he said. “This is a highly anticipated project for the city that will also fill an important need.”
The construction will take two years to complete and is expected to create about 200 full-time jobs in addition to 35 information technology positions that will be filled after the project is finished.
“In addition to the economic benefit and revitalization, this will address the state’s need for a highly secure facility that will provide a critical backup for systems used by state workers who need immediate access to information to carry out their jobs,” said Flanigan.
The offices in the building will be housed against the existing brick façade, while the computer rooms and computer systems will be contained within the modern, new two-story structure.
For this issue, BusinessWest gives readers an inside look at what it will take to preserve the exterior of the old brick school and attach it to a building that will become a model for green construction.

School of Thought
Ethel Macleod is the senior associate of architecture for TRO Jung Brannen, and project manager for the data center. She said the exterior of the old high school sits in the historic Quadrangle/Mattoon Street district, but the land behind it, where the new building will be constructed, does not. After several meetings with both state officials and Springfield Historic District members, they agreed that the new construction could take place as long as the front of the old school and sections of both sides were preserved, she explained.
“It was a real challenge to incorporate the old façade with the new addition, which needed to be distinct and not replicate what is already there,” Macleod noted, adding that the design had to include a fence to meet security specifications. “Our original plan had to be modified to preserve the historic character of the exterior.”
The final plan calls for a steel fence that will resemble wrought iron to reflect the neighborhood’s character.
The windows also had to considered. “We removed them, but have taken care to save them so the manufacturer will be able to match the sizes and create identical windows that are energy-efficient replicas of the old ones,” said TRO Jung Brannen Principal Sandy Smith.
Part of the building was demolished several years ago to make room for the new federal courthouse. But removing the remainder of the building is no easy task, and cannot be done without a great deal of preparation.
Steve Eustis, senior vice president of Skanska USA Building, explained that a temporary steel skeleton must be built to provide support for the existing façade. “Structural steel will be anchored to the footings at the front of the building near the sidewalk on Elliot Street during the first phase of the project. Once the skeleton is installed, it will support the new masonry work that needs to be done on the inside of the façade,” Eustis said.
The next step will be the demolition of most of the building, followed by excavation of a new foundation that will be larger and deeper than the old one. The remainder of the old foundation will be filled in, and the temporary skeleton will remain in place until a permanent steel skeleton is put up and the roof is finished. In order to maintain authenticity, however, the old bricks will be salvaged and reused to infill the basement windows that line the front of the façade.
Smith said the new building will have aluminum-framed glass curtains of walls in the building’s two glass stair towers, as well as at the front entrance to the lobby. The remainder of the building will be made up of terra cotta panels clipped to a substrate.
The preliminary underground infrastructure work will begin this fall, and the project is expected to reach completion in the summer of 2012. The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will contain many sophisticated systems that will provide backups to the primary systems, so operations can continue even if electricity or water power is lost.

Down to a Science
Since data centers consume a tremendous amount of energy, Smith said the goal of the design process for the Springfield Project was to create a structure that would serve as a showcase for green technology.
“Many strategies were incorporated that are sustainable and energy efficient,” she said, adding that when the building is complete, the state plans to seek a USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification.
“The design included selecting materials that are energy and water efficient and will sustain the environment in the building,” said Smith. “There are a number of ways to achieve this, but among the more unique is daylight harvesting, which will be done using sensors in the lighting system. When there is enough daylight, the lights will go off. Plus, 90% of the occupants will have daylight views.”
Stormwater will also be collected and used in the cooling towers. “Another strategy that is very innovative is the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, which will allow us to take advantage of free cooling in the spring and fall; we are using very energy-efficient plumbing fixtures and also reducing the heat-island effect, which occurs when surfaces soak up sun and become too hot,” Smith said. This will be accomplished by installing a white, reflective roof and reflective paving in the parking lot, sidewalks, and driveways.
The fact that the computer systems will run continuously creates a challenge, because they generate a lot of heat, she continued. “Computer equipment is very sensitive to heat so there is a tremendous need to generate cooling to keep the center at the appropriate temperature, along with the problem of what to do with the waste heat,” Macleod said. “Some systems expel it, but ours will capture it and reuse it, which is part of our HVAC strategy.”
Energy star equipment and servers will be installed in the computer areas, and the designers are working with Western Mass. Electric Company to maximize utility rebates. “They are helping to identify energy-efficient equipment, which allows us to install more than we would without the program. We are optimistic that the project will benefit greatly from the rebates,” Flanigan said.
Energy-saving measures are also being taken during the construction process. “We are diverting waste from the demolition and construction activity and will recycle 75% of all the waste,” Smith explained. In addition, designers are using carpet, ceramic, acoustical tiles and other products from companies within a 500-mile radius to reduce transportation costs.
Eustis said Skanska has done several billion dollars worth of work on data centers throughout the world, including one that is almost finished in Utah.
“The information age is exploding and creating a tremendous demand for data centers in both the public and private sector,” he said. “Businesses are much more dependent on information sharing. But this design is among the most efficient you will find anywhere with today’s technology.”
It will also stand as an intriguing example of how architects and construction firms can work together to create new history in an old building and change the face of a neighborhood with environmentally friendly measures.

Estate Planning Myths Explained

By
Sections Supplements
Knowledge of the Law Can Be Your Best Asset When Coping with These Issues

Gina Barry

Gina Barry

Certain ideas with respect to estate planning are widely accepted, yet unfortunately, inaccurate. This article will reveal and explain the most commonly stated estate planning myths.

Myth No. 1: ‘If I have a valid will, my estate does not have to go through probate.’
Many people believe that having a will means that their estate will not have to be probated when they pass away. A will is a document that, in part, gives instructions as to the distribution of the assets in the decedent’s probate estate. The assets in the probate estate are those assets that are held in the decedent’s name alone that do not have a designated beneficiary. Thus, whether or not probate is needed is not based upon whether or not the decedent had a will; rather, it is based upon how the assets are owned by the decedent.
If the decedent left probate assets, then in order for their will to ‘speak,’ a probate estate must be opened. If all the assets held in the decedent’s name are jointly owned with a right of survivorship or have named beneficiaries, then there is no need for probate.

Myth No. 2: ‘I can give away $10,000 to as many people as I want each year, but if I give more, then I have to pay gift tax.’
This myth emanates from the gift-tax system. In 2010, the rule with respect to gift tax is that you may give up to $13,000 to as many people as you want without having to file a gift-tax return. Note that the amount that can be gifted is stated incorrectly in the myth because most people remain unaware of the ongoing increases to the allowable gift amount.
Also under the current rules, even if a gift-tax return must be filed because more than $13,000 is given to one person, the giver of the gift will not pay any gift tax until he or she has gifted more than $1 million during their lifetime. Thus, if a person has $100,000 and gives all of it away in one year to one person, they will need to file a gift tax return, but they will not owe any gift tax because the gift does not exceed the lifetime threshold.

Myth No. 3: ‘I can give away assets when I enter a nursing home and still obtain Medicaid benefits.’
When faced with a nursing home bill of approximately $8,000 per month, many people wish to obtain Medicaid benefits to pay for this care. In order to obtain Medicaid benefits, an asset limit must be met; therefore, assets valued above this amount must be reduced to the asset limit before benefits will be granted. In their efforts to reduce the excess assets, many people believe that they can gift the excess assets due to the gift-tax exclusion explained in Myth No. 2. While a person can make a gift of up to $13,000 per person in 2010 without filing a gift tax return, the Medicaid program is not governed by the gift tax rules.
The Medicaid program imposes a penalty when any assets are given away within five years of the application for benefits, except in very specific circumstances. This penalty results in being unable to obtain Medicaid benefits for at least five years after such a gift is made. Thus, a gift of any amount will typically result in a penalty being imposed even if the gift does not have to be reported on a gift-tax return.

Myth No. 4 – ‘If I need nursing home care, Medicare will pay for my care.’
In part, this myth is perpetuated due to the fact that “Medicare” sounds very much like “Medicaid,” which does pay benefits for nursing home care for approved applicants. Medicare Part A will pay for medically necessary inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility, but only following a three-day hospital stay. Medicare will pay for up to 100 days of skilled nursing care or rehabilitation services. The actual length of benefits could be much shorter than 100 days if those services are no longer required.
When Medicare benefits are paid, Medicare pays 100% of the cost for the first 20 days, but only 80% of the cost of the next 80 days. Most Medicare recipients also have Medigap insurance, which will pay the balance not paid by Medicare. When Medicare benefits are exhausted, an alternative payment source is needed to pay for ongoing nursing home care.

Gina M. Barry is a partner with the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C., Attorneys at Law. She is a member of the National Assoc. of Elder Law Attorneys, the Estate Planning Council, and the Western Mass. Elder Care Professionals Association. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate and asset-protection planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships and residential real estate; (413) 781-0560; [email protected].

A Matter of Trust

By
Joe Arduino
Sections Supplements
Visiting Angels Franchise Stresses Delivery of Compassionate Care

Joe Arduino

Joe Arduino says he wants his employees to treat clients as they would treat their own family members.

In 1983, Joseph Arduino’s father was dying of congestive heart failure.
“He was a hospice patient, and we had an aide from a local hospice agency taking care of my father,” Arduino said. “I was taken back and amazed at the compassion of this home health aide, how she treated my father and our family like it was her own family.”
He didn’t realize then that he would someday make a career of helping other families find similar comfort and help during difficult times. But in 1999, Arduino — at the time a copier salesman who had an itch for entrepreneurship — was on a plane when he stumbled upon a magazine ad for a fledgling chain of home-care services called Visiting Angels. He didn’t even wait until he got home to call the number in the ad, and later that year, he was in charge of the company’s ninth franchise.
“Here it is, 11 years later, and we’ve seen substantial growth,” he told BusinessWest.
Indeed, his franchise, which now employs just under 90 staffers and caregivers, has served more than 1,100 clients in the past 11 years. “We provide services to adults in any age range. Many are 65 years and up, but we have many younger clients as well, adults with disabilities or in need of assistance during a period of recovery from illness or injury.”
Still, he noted that the elderly demographic — particularly those 85 and up — is growing quickly, and many Baby Boomers entering their retirement years have long been independent in spirit, and don’t want to give that up, especially if their daily needs don’t yet require assisted living or skilled nursing care. That’s where home care has a real opportunity to explode in growth.
“Mostly, it’s our clients’ desire to remain in their home environment, and our job is to help them accomplish that goal of independence with dignity and safety, and to try to improve their quality of life, through good caregiver matching and a good, positive relationship with the caregiver.”
The success of the Visiting Angels chain reflects that outlook. It had surpassed 100 franchises just three years after Arduino came on board, and now boasts nearly 400 locations across the U.S., Canada, and countries as far-flung as Brazil and South Korea.
“When we first started in this business, it was a risk because the company was so new,” he said, noting that he and his wife, Michelle, “bet the farm” on Visiting Angels, taking out a second mortgage and cashing in their retirement funds to get started. But it has turned out to be a winning bet; after launching their venture in Worthington and later moving it to Westfield, they opened a second branch in Springfield in late 2006.
“The day we opened [in Springfield], gas prices shot up to $4 a gallon, ‘recession’ was plastered all over the evening news, and our sales had fallen off,” said Arduino. “But since that time, we’ve experienced steady growth in the Springfield office, and this year, our sales are up 24%.
That success has come despite the fact that the economy continues to struggle and joblessness remains high. And that’s due partly to the fact that home care is simply a growing need that families increasingly can’t live without.
For this issue, BusinessWest takes a look at why Arduino is optimistic about the future of his business, and why he’s committed to showing clients the kind of compassion once shown to his own father.

Caring Touch
Although Visiting Angels typically serves clients with chronic health problems or experiencing an acute health crisis, it is not licensed to provide medical care. But such individuals often need help handling other daily tasks.
“We provide personal care such as bathing, assistance with dressing, hygiene and toileting, meal preparation, medication reminders, routing housekeeping, companionship, and transportation to appointments,” he said. “Our care recipients are able to choose their own caregiver, and we remain available for customer inquiries after hours, with a 15-minute response time.”
Michelle Arduino, who had previously been the postmaster of Worthington, is Joe’s business partner, responsible for finances, human resources, and compliance. “She’s very business-savvy,” he said. “She really understands the balance sheet, and she has a keen sense of forecasting financial trends within the company.”
The fact that those trends have been largely positive, despite the economic downturn, is something that Arduino credits partly to the strong relationships Visiting Angels has forged over the past decade with referral sources.
“I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “We work with local rehabilitation facilities and nursing agencies, and have provided supportive home-care services with their patients as they’re discharged home.” Arduino cited other factors in the franchise’s success, from the professionalism of his administrative staff to the reputation the company’s caregivers have developed for compassionate care.
“Our clients, their families, and our referral sources trust Visiting Angels,” he said. “They trust us to send compassionate, honest, and reliable caregivers into their homes. And we take this very seriously. I say to the people in charge of hiring at our company, ask yourself this question: ‘would you send this person to your own parents?’ If they can’t say yes to that, they don’t work for Visiting Angels.”
Determining that level of trust in each individual job applicant starts with the most basic work values. “We look at how they’re dressed. Did they show up on time? Do they return for the second interview on time? We use those things as a guide when making decisions,” Arduino said, noting that, if someone doesn’t treat a potential employer with respect, how can they be trusted to care for a vulnerable person in their home?
Even more important, perhaps, are the criminal and backgrounc checks the company runs, which go beyond the CORI requirements of the Mass. Department of Public Health. “We also provide a national criminal database searcg, a national identity check, a motor-vehiclem search, and a drug test,” he explained. “We’re trendsetters when it comes to employment screening. We really check people out. It’s very difficult to get a job with Visiting Angels as a caregiver.”
That’s because Arduino knows what drew him to this industry in the first place – the remarkable comfort he felt that his father was in good hands. So, he says, he’s built his business around cultivating that same sense of trust with clients.

Life Lessons
Around the time he opened his franchise, Arduino’s mother required home care due to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, making two parents who used such services, and at different stages in their lives. The potential of this care model was more obvious to him than ever.
“I’m very positive about the future growth of the private-duty home-care industry,” he said, noting that some 79.6 million Baby Boomers have either retired or are preparing to enter the ranks of retirees. “The demand for supportive home-care services will increase dramatically over the next several decades, and consumers as well as health care providers will look to private duty to provide for this population.”
In addition, he told BusinessWest, “I envision further cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid services and reimbursement rates, which will increase the pressure on health care facilities to just discharge patients at a faster rate. This will put pressure on families to provide care for their loved ones and also contract with private-duty home-care agencies such as Visiting Angels.”
And it all started with his father’s illness, and what he learned about compassionate care.
“At the time, I didn’t realize that this would happen, my decision to start a home-care agency. It’s just something that happens to you in your life,” he said. “Later on, I knew I wanted to start my own company, and I saw an opportunity with Visiting Angels.”
Clearly, betting the farm was a risk worth taking.

Opinion

By
Opinion
We Must Separate Doctors from Industry

This summer, Harvard Medical School announced new restrictions on the relationships between its faculty and the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries. The policy prohibits faculty from accepting gifts and meals, limits their consulting income, and requires public reporting of any payments received. The stated goal is to eliminate a perception of undue commercial influence in medical education. This is the right decision by Harvard. It is now time that all other medical schools and teaching hospitals follow suit.
The medical/pharmaceutical industry influence on academic medicine is ubiquitous. In 2007, a survey of academic department chairs published in the Journal of the American Medical Assoc. revealed that 60% reported some form of personal relationship with industry, including as a consultant, paid speaker, officer, founder, or member of a board.
While many of these relationships are appropriate, an increasing number go off-track. Later that same year, the Department of Justice filed criminal complaints against four of the five medical-device manufacturers in New Jersey, alleging that the companies used consulting agreements with orthopedic surgeons as inducements to use a particular company’s products. According to Justice, the investigation revealed it was common practice that surgeons “were paid tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for consulting contracts and were often lavished with trips and other expensive perquisites.”
More recently, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has investigated research conflicts of interests at numerous teaching hospitals and academic medical centers, including Harvard Medical School. In October 2008, an article in the the New York Times noted that Grassley’s findings “suggest that universities are all but incapable of policing their faculty’s conflicts of interest.” Eric Campbell, a health policy researcher at Mass General and Harvard Medical School, called these consulting arrangements “one of the great wink-winks of all time.”
Things must change. Medical schools and teaching hospitals have nothing to fear by establishing more appropriate restrictions governing their relationships with industry. The experience of our hospital system is one case in point.
Several years ago, clinical leaders at our system, UMass Memorial Health Care, became concerned about the problem created by these relationships. As a result, we launched a comprehensive process that resulted in the adoption, in 2007, of one of the strictest vendor-relations policies in the nation. Among other things, we prohibit gifts, meals, and entertainment, eliminate industry influence in medical education, restrict consulting to true scientific (not marketing) issues, and restrict access by sales and marketing representatives at our facility.
At first, there was skepticism. Some physicians resented the suggestion that accepting a mug or a free lunch somehow taints their medical judgment. Others worried that we would lose industry support for medical education and they would not be able to stay current on the latest drug and device developments. But almost three years later, there has been nary a whimper. No grieving at the loss of free lunches or dinners, and very few complaints about the loss of any educational opportunities. Indeed, most physicians are happier with the more limited, and more appropriate, interactions with industry. And they don’t mind writing with generic pens.
Recently, we conducted a survey of our physicians and residents to determine the level of support for our policy. While there remains some skepticism, almost two-thirds of respondents said they wanted UMass Memorial to continue to play a leading role among academic medical centers in promoting a strict policy. One resident said the policy made him so proud that, as he leaves his training, he asks all his potential employers about their policy.
This is not about demonizing pharmaceutical and medical-device companies. Our policy continues to allow significant contact with industry. These companies are vital to medical research and our continued ability to discover new and improved ways of caring for patients. But when we allow the good parts of those relationships to be sullied by the bad, we undermine the integrity of the entire interaction.
All of academic medicine needs to now acknowledge that the goals of a profit-driven industry, while laudable, do not always align with the goals of independent scientific research, teaching, and the delivery of high-quality patient care. Harvard is not the first to go down this road, but it may be the most influential. It should not be the last.

Douglas S. Brown is senior vice president and general counsel, and Stephen Tosi is chief medical officer, of UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester.

Profiles in Business

By
Bruce Landon, president, general manager, and co-owner of the Springfield Falconsv
Features
This Hockey Veteran is Certainly Goal-oriented

Bruce Landon, president, general manager, and co-owner of the Springfield Falconsv

Bruce Landon, president, general manager, and co-owner of the Springfield Falcons

Bruce Landon said an equipment manager found it a few months ago in an old equipment bag in the back of a storage area at the Springfield Falcons complex within the MassMutual Center.
Now, the goalie mask, which Landon last used in action in the mid ’70s when he played for the World Hockey Associations’s Hartford Whalers, is displayed on a book shelf in his office, not far from the so-called “stick pad,” found in the same box, that he also used during a career cut short by a knee injury.
“I tried it on … it was pretty tight; the eye holes didn’t line up just right,” Landon said of the mask. “I’ve put on some weight over the years, obviously. I’ve got to lose about 15 pounds for that to fit again.”
The goalie equipment, which certainly looks dated when compared to the high-tech gear goalies use today, is one of the few items that have survived from Landon’s playing days. Other items in his office include a souvenir Whalers coffee mug, bearing his picture, that was sent to him by a fan of that team, as well as a framed team picture of the 1972 Whalers squad that captured the WHA championship.
“That club would have beaten most NHL teams,” said Landon as he ticked off the names of former teammates on that unit, many of whom enjoyed success in the NHL before or after that 1972 season. “That was a talented group of players.”
One has to prod the Kingston, Ontario native to talk about his playing days and the past in general. The man most closely associated with hockey in Springfield for the past three decades is certainly more focused on the present and especially the future, one that he says is dominated by question marks, much more so than he would prefer.
Indeed, while he would like to say that there will always be hockey in Springfield, he knows he can’t really use that phrase with any degree of confidence.
“I always like to remain optimistic that we can put something together and remain here long-term, but there are simply no guarantees anymore,” he said, noting that the hockey landscape has changed considerably over the past three decades and especially the past several years, and the challenges to existence, especially in what is now considered a small market, are mounting.
After several years of deep disappointment — the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2003 and it’s been 20 years since the last Calder Cup championship — with NHL affiliates the Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Phoenix Coyotes, the Falcons have a new partner in the Columbus Blue Jackets. The deal is just for one year (with an option year) though, as both the Falcons and the new parent club essentially try on this relationship to see how it fits.
But hockey in Springfield has become what amounts to a year-to-year proposition anyway, said Landon, 61, who told BusinessWest that attendance, down slightly from years ago, must improve if the team is going to compete, and succeed financially, at a time when expenses continue to soar, as does competition for the time and attention of area families.
For this, the latest installment of its Profiles in Business series, BusinessWest talks at length with a man who has gone from preventing goals on the ice to meeting and exceeding them in the changing world of professional hockey.

Making the Big Stop
Landon likes to joke that he put Billy Smith in the hall of fame.
The two were teammates and fellow netminders on the 1969-70 Springfield Kings squad that played its home games in the Coliseum at the Big E. Landon was injured (a shoulder dislocation) during the final weeks of that season, putting Smith between the pipes for a playoff run that ended in a memorable Calder Cup championship.
Smith would use that run to help catapult his way into the NHL, first with the Los Angeles Kings, and later the expansion New York Islanders, for which he played a lead role in four consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the early ’80s.
“I always told Billy that if I never got hurt, he wouldn’t have got a chance to play,” said Landon, whose hockey career, cut short by injuries, took a much different, but nonetheless fulfilling, route.
After playing with the Whalers for five seasons, he found himself back in the AHL, and Springfield, where he both played and handled some sales the summer before the season started, an unusual arrangement, orchestrated by Springfield Indians owner George Leary that gave Landon a taste of life in the front office. When Landon blew out his knee in December, 1977, Leary offered him a job handling group sales.
“And I’ve been here ever since.”
He’s had just about every title one can have with such an organization, from director of marketing and public relations to the current president and general manager, with ‘co-owner’ “thrown in,” as he likes to say, in 1994, when, just a few weeks after the then-Springfield Indians left the city for Worcester, he cobbled together an ownership group that brought a new team, to be called the Falcons, to town.
Since that time, Landon’s unofficial job description has been to keep hockey in Springfield, where it has been part of the landscape since 1936. He’s been successful in that mission due to his ability to recruit, assemble, and maintain two ownership groups, the second in 2002, that have enabled the city’s hockey tradition to continue.
In recent years, the team has managed to survive, but wins, not to mention playoff opportunities, have been hard to come by. The Falcons have gone through a number of NHL affiliations — more than most teams, by Landon’s calculations — and that certainly hasn’t helped matters. And the team’s presence at or near the bottom of the standings had definitely impacted attendance.
All this makes the task of keeping hockey in Springfield that much more challenging, said Landon, who brings vast amounts of energy, determination, and imagination to that assignment.
“I’m still the first one in in the morning and the last one to go home at night,” he said, while describing himself as a workaholic, and one who didn’t take a full week’s vacation at one time (until just last month) for perhaps two decades. “I love what I do; if I didn’t enjoy, I wouldn’t be doing it after all these years.”

Icing on the Cake
Landon said this work ethic reflects his hiring strategies as well as his management style. In short, when he’s evaluating the large amounts of young talent coming out of sports management programs, including those at several area colleges, he’s looking for certain traits, especially hard work and the ability to sell.
“The first thing I look for when I hire someone is a passion for the industry,” he explained. If you don’t have that passion for business or the passion to come to work every day, I don’t want you. As the guy overseeing this operation, I don’t want to micromanage and I don’t want to baby-sit. I want people who come in the morning excited to be here, knowing there’s a wonderful opportunity to build their resume.”
Looking back on his own career in hockey, Landon said he had a few attractive opportunities to move on to the NHL. But he ultimately turned them down to keep his family — and himself — grounded in Western Mass.
“I didn’t want to be a hockey gypsy,” he explained, noting that in this business, many assignments are only a few years in duration, and families must be uprooted with each new career stop. “I had a couple of opportunities over the years, going way back. When I was a player, I built a house in West Springfield and raised by two kids in West Springfield.
“Family is important to me, and it was important for me to establish roots here — I love this region,” he continued. “I never had any aspirations to be a coach … I always loved the management side, the sales side, the marketing side. I looked at my options, and said, ‘I like what I have going for me. If hockey doesn’t work out for me, I’ll find something else to do here. But hockey has always worked out.”
Looking ahead, Landon said his broad goal, however difficult it may be to achieve, is to add a layer, or perhaps several layers, of permanence to the prospects for hockey in Springfield. He told BusinessWest that this work will likely involve recruitment of more or different owners, as the current mix has been in place for more than eight years, and some may be ready for new and different opportunities.
“Our group of owners has been fantastic, we have tremendous partners here,” he said. “But it’s been eight years for them now, so maybe it’s time for a changing of the guard, and I’m hoping we can find some committed people at the local level. There’s a lot of interest in this franchise from groups outside this area, but with those people, you don’t have that local commitment.”
And for both current owners, as well as those in the future, hockey in Springfield must be more of a philanthropic gesture than a pure business decision, he continued.
“You can make money at this and we have in the past,” he said with a smile that indicated that such a feat is getting more difficult all the time. “But if people are looking at this as a pure investment, then they should put their money somewhere else; there has to be a little bit of philanthropic investment here as well, where it’s good for the community, it’s good for the city. Hockey has been here since 1936 and it’s a major part of this city.”

Net Results
Assessing the present and future status of hockey in the City of Homes, Landon said his management teams have, over the years, done a good job of providing solid family entertainment at the arena on Main Street. There was then a pause, followed by the inevitable ‘but …’
“We need a better product on ice to get the hockey fan back, to make hockey viable here.”
Making hockey viable in Springfield has been Landon’s passion since, well, the last time he put on a uniform and that old goalie mask that no longer fits him properly.
He knows there’s no turning back the clock — with regard to where the eye holes should line up on his face, or with the game of hockey as a business; the game has changed, and there’s no going back to the old days.
But then again, he’s never been one to dwell on the past.

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

Study in Longevity

By
Springfield Public Forum 2010
Features
The Springfield Public Forum at 75

Springfield Public Forum 2010

Springfield Public Forum 2010

Launched in 1935 as a pilot program designed to further the education of adults unable to attend college at the height of the Great Depression, the Springfield Public Forum is today one of the oldest lecture series in the country and perhaps the only one that remain free to the public. The list of speakers who have come to Springfield includes hundreds of luminaries, ranging from future presidential contenders Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey to Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau. Through the years, the forum has remained true to its mission while also changing and evolving to remain relevant, reach audiences of all ages, and be a force in the cultural life of the region

Patricia Canavan says those round-number anniversaries, such as the 75th now being marked by the Springfield Public Forum, are much more than occasions for blowing out candles on a cake and marking the passage of time.
Indeed, these are occasions — historically better than other anniversary numbers, such as 74, 76, 49, or 51 — for efforts to draw attention to an organization and remind the public of its value to the community. “And, even more importantly, it’s a time for introspection, for looking at what’s being done and for ways to do it better,” said Canavan, executive director of the forum, noting that those involved with this Western Mass. institution are taking full advantage of this anniversary to do all that and more.
In other words, she said, the 75th will be an occasion to underscore one of the forum’s more effective marketing slogans: ‘Old, but New Every Year.’
Dave Martel, a partner with the Springfield-based law firm Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury, and Murphy, and a board member for nearly half the forum’s existence, agreed. He told BusinessWest that this year’s forum series, to begin Sept. 21 with a talk from Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, is both a celebration of the institution’s contributions to the community and testimony to how the forum continues to carry out its mission to educate and engage area residents.
He said the 75th anniversary season, while in many ways no different than other years, does, because it is a milestone, present a good opportunity for everything from enlisting additional support from the business community, which underwrites the lectures, to building up an endowment that will someday lessen the forum’s reliance on fund-raising.
“We want to use that endowment to fund one lecture each year, which will put less emphasis on having to find sponsors for each talk,” said Martel, adding that the attention garnered by the 75th anniversary celebration will provide a real boost for those efforts.
Canavan, now in her fourth year at the helm of the forum, said the organization, one of the oldest lecture series in the country and perhaps the only one that remains free to the public, continues to evolve. She used that term first in reference to the fact that the staff, which has grown to four part-time employees, is now paid. But she also utilized it to describe efforts with everything from choosing speakers that will appeal to today’s tech-savvy young people to taking learning opportunities well beyond the one hour of a speaker’s address.
These and other measures are part of a broad strategic planning initiative launched in 2007 and, in many ways, inspired by the diamond anniversary, said Canavan, noting that, overall, the plan’s goal is simply to extend the forum’s reach and enable it to touch more lives.
“We needed to define where we were going and look into the future and decide what we wanted to be,” she said of the strategic initiative. “We are committed to the fact that we are education organization, and while the lectures play a huge part in this, we decided that because we’re bringing such a wealth of resources, people, to a community, to just let them speak for one night and have that be it, is in many ways a waste.”
For this issue, BusinessWest, on the occasion of the forum’s 75th anniversary, takes a broad look at how the lecture series continues to evolve and find new and different ways to remain true to its original mission.

Learning Experience
As she talked about the 75th anniversary and anticipation of it, Canavan said that one more thing the milestone inspired was research into the forum’s creation, history, and legacy. Much of the work was carried out by an intern, and it was quite eye opening, she noted.
Among other things, it revealed that the forum began in 1935 as a three-year project sponsored by the American Association for Adult Education in New York City, which ran similar programs across the country. The first series featured 40 programs over eight weeks, and functioned as a short college course with guest lecturers on related topics, said Canavan, noting that, at the time (the height of the Great Depression), many adults simply did not have the wherewithal to pursue college degrees, and the forum served as a means for continuing their education.
The lectures, which drew nearly 50,000 people that first season, were intentionally historical in nature for the first few years, she continued, but changed at the request of the audience to address topical issues. By openly addressing contemporary problems, the forum series became a driving force in the cultural life in Springfield.
Over the years, luminaries from politics, literature, science, sports, the media and other fields have appeared at Symphony Hall. The list of speakers includes Henry Kissinger, Robert Moses, Maya Angelou, Issac Asimov, Zbigniew Brzeziniski, Alex Haley, Art Linkletter, Gary Trudeau, and Red Auerbach. In 1952, Senators Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, who would square off against each other in the 1968 presidential election, both spoke at the forum.
Then, as now, the commitment has been to “great speakers, great discourse,” said Martel, and this is a tradition being continued with the 75th anniversary lineup, which presents testimony to the many ways in which the forum remains true to its mission, but also continues that evolutionary process and strives to reach larger and more diverse audiences.
The roster of speakers reflects how those who are assembling the lineup are striving for diversity in terms of subject matter, as well as a focus on current events and efforts to grow attendance by bringing more families and young people to Symphony Hall, he continued.
Breyer, just the second Supreme Court justice to take part in the forum (William O. Douglas was the other), appears as both a jurist — speaking on current issues, including the recent appointment of the court’s latest member, Elena Kagan — and as author of several books, including Active Liberty and Through the Eyes of a Judge.
Breyer’s visit will be followed by what Canavan calls one of the forum’s “family friendly” lectures, featuring Mars Rover lead scientist Steven Squyres, on Oct. 24. This will be a multi-media presentation that will include up-to-the-minute news and footage from the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, as well as information about NASA’s future plans. The lecture, which is the culminating event in a month-long series of programming involving science and technology (more on that later) will be preceded by a small student discussion group with Squyres and demonstrations by student robotics groups.
Squyres’ appearance typifies efforts in recent years on the part of forum administrators and board members to reach out to younger people, said Canavan, noting that recent lineups, crafted with the same goal in mind, have included marine archeologist Robert Ballard, whose team located the Titanic, Jean Michel Cousteau, son of the late explorer, oceanographer, and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau and president of the Ocean Futures Society, and others involved in the sciences.
Inclusion of speakers with messages that will appeal to younger audiences is a key part of that broad initiative, but it is only one component.
“One of our big goals for this season is to really resonate with people of my generation or younger,” said Canavan, 41, noting that one of the strategies for doing this is making full use of the rapidly advancing information technology and social media outlets embraced by younger generations. “We have updated and upgraded our Web site, we have a very active FaceBook page and an electronic newsletter.
“But that’s just one part of the equation,” she continued. “Another piece is resonating with movers and shakers within the younger crowd. “I’ve reached out to people who can say to their group or sphere of influence, ‘hey, look at this … this is something great, a real asset to our community.”

Talking the Talk
The rest of the lineup for this fall reflects efforts on the forum’s part to be topical while also engaging audiences, said Canavan.
On Oct. 28, Kavita Ramdas, senior advisor to and former president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, will give a talk focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by globalization, with a look at the role of social entrepreneurship on improving health, education, and economic security in developing countries.
Meanwhile, urban revitalization will the focus of a talk by Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker, whose innovative strategies are producing solid results for that community. Booker will share his multi-faceted approach to economic development, community building, education and housing reform, and promotion of arts and culture. The season will conclude with a town-hall-style moderated conversation with new analysts and commentators Mark Shields and David Brooks, as they appear on PBS’s Newshour. They will provide insight into current events, including the mid-term elections, the economy, national, and international affairs.
In many ways, the 2010 season and its lineup of speakers reflects initiatives included in that strategic planning process, completed two years ago, that spurred several new initiatives.
Among them is something called the City Thinks Program, undertaken in conjunction with the Springfield Public Library and funded by a number of groups, especially the American International College Honors Program. City Thinks takes one of the forum lecture topics and develops three weeks of programming around it, offered in a number of venues.
This season, the Squyres lecture was chosen, said Canavan, adding that programming will include book-discussion groups, movie and documentary screenings, a student video contest (with a special prize donated by PeoplesBank), “Family Fun Day” at the Springfield Museums, and more.
“The goal is to give as many as possible the opportunity to learn more about this topic,” she explained, noting that this year’s topic is called “The Final Frontier: Space, Science, and Technology. “We want to provide as many avenues as possible for people to engage and learn more.”
Other component of the strategic initiative involves efforts to expand outreach to area schools, community centers, and other facilities to provide resources for additional learning, she continued. These endeavors include small-group discussions with forum speakers prior to their talks at Symphony Hall. One such talk two years ago, involving presidential historian Michael Beschloss involved 25 students in Springfield Public Schools.
“It was a terrific program … these students were prepped, they came with great questions,” said Canavan. “This was a great way for them to build upon what they were learning in the classroom.
“We’re finding that with these educational outreach activities and the partnerships we’re building with different educational and cultural organizations that we’re able to reach more people,” she continued. “And that’s something we’re really excited about.”

In Conclusion
Canavan told BusinessWest that some special marketing initiatives have been undertaken for this 75th season of lectures, including a new logo and related materials. There are some other things planned that would be considered extraordinary, and there may well be a cake included in the mix somewhere.
But forum administrators and board members want to do much more this year than simply celebrate a milestone, a diamond anniversary. They want to take full advantage of this opportunity to not only mark some history, but generate some awareness and momentum so that much more history can be written, and a tradition can not only continue, but expand and thrive.
If they can succeed with all that, then there will be really something to celebrate.

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

Ten Points About: Golf & Business Entertainment

By
10 Points Departments

By TERESA A. JUDYCKI, CPA

1. In addition to being ‘ordinary and necessary,’ entertainment expenses must pass another test to be deductible: they must be either directly related to or associated with your business.

2. A ‘directly related’ meal or entertainment either takes place in a clear business setting, or the main purpose is business and there is an expectation of specific benefit, not just goodwill. Business must actually be conducted — meeting, discussion, etc.
3. An expense is ‘associated with’ the conduct of business if the meal or entertainment precedes or follows a substantial business discussion and there is a clear business purpose which may be either to generate new business or to encourage continuation of a business relationship.
4. Lavish or extravagant entertainment is not deductible. The expense must be reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances.

5. The deduction for a skybox or a private luxury box rented for more than one event in the same sports arena is limited to the price of a non-luxury box seat for each seat in the skybox.

6. You cannot deduct more than the face value of a ticket to an entertainment event. This limitation applies equally to amounts paid to scalpers and service fees paid to ticket agencies.
7. Reciprocal meals or entertainment are not deductible (i.e. a group of business associates takes turns picking up the tab).
8. Once the expenditure qualifies, it is only 50% deductible. There are exceptions that include employee summer outings or holiday parties.
9. What about charity golf tournaments? If they qualify as entertainment expenses, charity sports events are not subject to the 50% disallowance as long as the primary purpose is to benefit a charity, the entire net proceeds go to the charity, and the event uses volunteers to perform substantially all the event’s work.

10. Strict substantiation rules must be met. The evidence must support the amount, time and place, business purpose (including the nature and duration of business discussions), and your business relationship to the person entertained.

Terri Judycki is a senior tax manager with the Holyoke-based public accounting firm

Briefcase

By
Briefcase Departments

State’s Economy Outpaces That of the Nation

BOSTON — The Bay State’s economy expanded twice as fast as the nation’s during the second quarter of the year, boosted by federal stimulus spending, demand for technology products, and the strongest job growth since the so-called miracle years of the 1980s,UMass reported recently. In its quarterly journal Benchmarks, UMass reported that the three-month period ending June 30 was the fourth consecutive quarter in which the state outpaced national economic growth. Analysts, however, warned that the state’s economy is likely to slow as stimulus programs fade and a weakened national recovery tempers economic growth here. “Government spending has played a much greater role in stimulating growth and encouraging consumer spending,” Robert Nakosteen, an Economics professor at the UMass Isenberg School of Management, told the Boston Globe. “Going forward, however, government stimulus is waning, and it is far from certain that private-sector spending will take up the slack.” The state’s economy grew at a 6.4% annual rate last quarter after expanding at a 4.1% rate in the first quarter and 6% at the end of last year, according to UMass. Nationally, economic growth was a sluggish 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter after expanding 3.7% in the first quarter and 5% in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Tech Park Releases Economic-impact Report

SPRINGFIELD — The economic impact of the Springfield Technology Park adjacent to Springfield Technical Community College is positive, according to recently released results of a report by the Center for Economic Development at UMass. The economic-impact report indicates that the nearly 900 jobs at the park create an additional 1,267 jobs in the regional economy due to the multiplier effect. Some $1.4 million is pumped into the local economy due to park management’s policy of favoring local contractors and service providers. In addition, the report indicates an estimated payroll of $37 million and estimated capital investments over the past three years of $4 million. Principal investigators and authors of the study are Zenia Kotval, Ph.D., and John Mullin, Ph.D., from UMass. The 15-acre park was founded in 1996 through an act of the Massachusetts Legislature and is the only technology-based business park connected to a community college in the U.S. The secure, gated site is a center of innovation with more than 70% tenant companies involved in the tech and engineering sectors.

AMICCON Organizers Move Event to Nov. 16

SPRINGFIELD — Organizers of the Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation Competition and Conference (AMICCON), www.amiccon.com, have moved the event from Sept. 23 to Nov. 16 in order to better respond to and convert the overwhelming response it has received from manufacturers, their supply chains, state organizations (from Massachusetts and Connecticut), and the business community as a whole. “We expected a good response to the AMICCON project, but the initial high caliber of participation set the bar very high,” said co-founder Ellen Bemben. “It is now clear that a few more weeks after the Labor Day holiday are necessary in order to satisfy the additional interest that those nationally acclaimed manufacturers are generating for a greater event.” Top companies in their industry sectors have confirmed their participation and support, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Smith & Wesson, Callaway Golf, Savage Arms, FloDesign, and PolyOne, and precision manufacturers like B & E Precision Aircraft Components, D & S Manufacturing, United Plastics Group, and Boyd Technologies. With the momentum of media coverage, from Springfield to Chicago and beyond, preparations for the June 2011 national Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Competition are on schedule with co-chairs Paul Silva of Angel Catalyst in South Hadley and Michael Gurau of Clear Venture Partners in Freeport, Maine. Private investment firms are already offering their support for the unique competition with a $50,000 purse.

Construction Backlog Edges Higher

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently reported that its latest Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) increased to seven months in May, a 27% increase from January of this year. CBI is a forward-looking indicator that measures the amount of construction work under contract to be completed in the future.

Among the regional highlights: compared to a year ago, all regions but the South experienced a rise in backlog; the Northeast reports the lengthiest backlog at roughly 7.5 months, the highest level for this region in the history of the survey; and the Middle States report the shortest backlog at roughly 6.6 months. ABC is a national association with 77 chapters representing 25,000 merit-shop construction and construction-related firms with 2 million employees.

Former Finance Control Board Official Pays Penalty

SPRINGFIELD — The state Ethics Commission approved a disposition agreement in which former Springfield Finance Control Board Deputy Director Stephen Lisauskas admitted to violating G.L. c. 268A, the conflict-of-interest law. Pursuant to the agreement, Lisauskas paid a $3,000 civil penalty. The law prohibits a state employee from knowingly, or with reason to know, using or attempting to use his official position to secure for himself or others unwarranted privileges or exemptions that are of substantial value and which are not properly available to similarly situated individuals. Lisauskas did not file a written disclosure with his appointing authority to dispel the appearance of a conflict of interest. The agreement notes that, by using his position as SFCB deputy director, he steered the city of Springfield into investing with Merrill Lynch, when Lisauskas had a friendship with one of the vice president/brokers. Merrill Lynch was given approximately 60% of the city’s investment money to invest and subsequently invested approximately $13 million in risky, mortgage-backed securities which were not on a ‘legal list’ of investments. Those securities lost nearly all of their value. In January 2008, Merrill Lynch agreed to reimburse the city $13.7 million to cover its investment losses and legal fees.

Seminars Slated for Small-business Owners

WARE — The Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp. is offering seminars for small-business owners and entrepreneurs this fall who want to learn to promote their business. Seminars planned include ‘Growing Your Business Through Marketing and Advertising,’ Sept. 22 and 29, 6 to 8 p.m., in Charlton; and ‘Social-media Networking,’ Sept. 16, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Sturbridge area. For more information, call (413) 967-3001.

School Conversion Plan Dropped Due to Funding

WESTFIELD — The planned ‘academic village’ at the Westfield Normal School on Washington Street has been dropped due to lack of funding, according to Juan Cofield, president of Boston Realty Associates. Cofield noted that the original plan was to create housing for 90 Westfield State University students. Cofield’s firm would have leased the finished project to Westfield State. College officials will now work with the Mass. State College Building Authority (MSCBA) to determine if converting the school site can still be accomplished. MSCBA is responsible for all dormitories on state-college properties.

Union Station Project Back On Track

SPRINGFIELD — The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently lifted a freeze on funding for the Springfield Redevelopment Authority’s (SRA) $71 million Union Station project. The freeze was imposed in 2005 after an audit questioned spending by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) for the intermodal transportation project. With SRA as the lead agency on the project, once all forms are now completed on the federal level, the project should get back on track. The Union Station project proposal includes space for the PVTA, commuter rail, intercity bus operations, Amtrak, and office space related to transit. In addition to federal funding, the project has state and private funding in place. In other news, an FTA study recently estimated at $77.7 billion the cost of bringing systems into a state of good repair. FTA’s National State of Good Repair Assessment Study, requested by the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides a comprehensive study of the nation’s rail and bus transit systems and notes that infrastructure development is needed to rebuild America.

Weston Solutions Expresses Interest in Belchertown Parcel

BELCHERTOWN — For the next several weeks, the town’s Economic Development Industrial Corp. will be working with MassDevelopment to determine if a Pennsylvania-based corporation has the experience and resources to develop the former Belchertown State School property. Weston Solutions Inc., which has a regional office in Connecticut, has expressed an interest in developing the site to build shops, offices, housing, and an assisted-living facility. A letter of interest has been signed with the town that allows the company to investigate financing, contamination, and construction issues facing Parcel B of the site.

Building Permits

By
Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of August 2010.

AGAWAM

LRB Realty Trust
1804 Main St.
$15,000 — Six upgraded antenna panels

AMHERST

Merkos L’InyoneI Chinuch Inc.
30 North Hadley Road
$13,000 — Kitchen ventilation and suppression system

Rt. 9 Real Estate, Inc.
213 College St.
$3,000 — Building separate entry for Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Trustees of Hampshire College
731 West St.
$5,500 — Re-shingle

CHICOPEE

New Ludlow, LLC
59 New Ludlow Road
$9,000 — Repair fire damage in laundry room

Rivershore Real Estate, LLC
628 Center St.
$16,500 — Install new entry door and build handicap ramp

GREENFIELD

Fenwick LLP
111 Hope St.
$2,500 — Roof repair

Fenwick LLP
4 Woodard Rd.
$2,500 — Roof repair

Greenfield Savings Bank
35 Federal St.
$490,000 — Construction of a drive-up teller machine and teller building

HOLYOKE

South Hadley Realty Trust
36-40 Bobala Road
$57,000 — Add new offices, electrical, and fire protection

LUDLOW

Ludlow Housing Authority
37 Chestnut St.
$114,000 — Re-roof

NORTHAMPTON

7 Bravo Two, LLC
162 Old Ferry Road
$167,000 — New commercial building

Alka Kanoujia
45 State St.
$4,000 — Pour concrete basement floor

  

Bobo LLC
88 King St.
$20,500 — Interior Renovations

CFP Properties LLC
320 Riverside Dr.
$9,000 — Emergency repairs

Coolidge Northampton LLC
249 King St.
$1,200 — Remove non-bearing walls

Edwards Church of Northampton
297 Main St.
$6,000 — Repair stairs

Kathleen Maiewski
91 Crescent St.
$9,000 — Interior renovations

SPRINGFIELD

ESIBC
211 Carando Dr.
$99,500 — Renovations for home infusion and respiratory services

HAP Inc.
322 Main St.
$102,000 — New non-structural walls in handicap bathroom

Jacob Hannoush
1655 Boston Road
$20,000 — Interior renovations

John Salema
350 Cottage St.
$75,000 — Cosmetic remodel of the sales area, restrooms, and exterior facade at Dunkin Donuts

Tinkham Management
112 Industry Ave.
$9,500 — Interior renovations

WESTFIELD

Berkshire Bank
31 Court St.
$18,000 — Interior renovations

Floyd Pease, Jr.
101 Springdale Road
$26,000 — Renovation

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Diversified Realty Corp.
935 Riverdale St.
$55,000 — Renovation of 9,119 square feet of retail space

Peoples Savings Bank
547 Memorial Ave.
$750,000 — Renovation of 30,455 square feet of commercial building

St. Thomas School
47 Pine St.
$20,000 — Strip and re-roof

Court Dockets

By
Court Dockets Departments

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

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Helena Borek v. Wholesale Kitchen Supply Co.
Allegation: Breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices: $8,274
Filed: 5/11/10

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Nike USA Inc. v. 1793 Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $33,835.64
Filed: 6/18/10

Ricky Greenwald v. RTB Design
Allegation: Breach of contract and fraud arising in construction dispute between the homeowner and the designer/builder: $393,055.72
Filed: 6/1/10

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Weddingpages Inc. v. Sakura Bloom, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $5,324.40
Filed: 7/1/10

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Adam P. Clermont, Esq. v. Robinson & Donovan, P.C., et al
Allegation: Legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty: $150,000
Filed: 6/1/10

Clinton Mitchell Jr. v. Associated Electro-Mechanics
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 5/25/10

Estate of Raymond F. Bolas v. The Hartford Casualty Insurance Co. and Elizabeth Warga, Margaret Bonney, and Stephen M. Brown
Allegation: Negligence, conversion, and breach of fiduciary duty: $350,000
Filed: 5/26/10

MicMac Mechanical Insulation, LLC v. Fontaine Brothers Inc. and Federal Insurance Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials supplied on a public construction project: $15,355
Filed: 6/3/10

Noonan Energy Corp. v. Howard Fuel Service Inc.
Allegation: Fraud and negligent representation: $89,167.40
Filed: 5/11/10

Orchard Variety Inc. v. Good Deal Auto
Allegation: Checks fraudulently cashed on closed accounts: $87,146
Filed: 6/2/10

Roberta Kerry v. Friendly Corp.
Allegation: Employment discrimination and harassment: $25,000
Filed: 5/25/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Caroline Wenck v. Warner Brothers, LLC, Allstate Asphalt Inc., and Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.
Allegation: Negligence in sidewalk construction project, causing injury: $21,005.39
Filed: 6/7/10

Carlos Casillas v. Steve Lewis Subaru Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination based on race, color, nationality: $25,000
Filed: 6/17/10

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

AEC One Stop Group v. Dynamite Records
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $17,881.60
Filed: 7/2/10

Bailey Nurseries Inc. v. Keyes Perennial Farm
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $5,146.99
Filed: 6/30/10

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Bradco Supply Co. v. C.S. Alexander Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $10,789.04
Filed: 6/11/10

Collins Enterprises Inc. v. Niley’s Fashion
Allegation: Breach of lease agreement: $8,400
Filed: 6/10/11

National Vinyl Products Inc. v. Griswold Glass & Aluminum Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $7,441.65
Filed: 6/14/10

Salemi Appliance Service Inc. v. Shedd Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment on appliances: $3,783.15
Filed: 6/11/10

Thurston Foods Inc. v. J.T.’s Bakery & Café
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,646.88
Filed: 6/10/10

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Capital One Bank NA v. Auto Specialties
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services charged on a credit account: $6,861.81
Filed: 5/18/10

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