Features

Nominate a Difference Maker

Deadline Approaches for Finalizing the Class of 2014

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The clock is ticking, but there is still time to nominate an individual or group for BusinessWest’s Difference Makers class of 2014.
Nominations, which can be completed online here will be accepted until the close of the business day (5 p.m.) on Dec. 20.
Difference Makers is the program BusinessWest launched in 2007 to recognize those who are, as the name suggests, making a difference in the region called Western Mass. Over the years, winners have come from a number of fields and been involved in a host of endeavors — from filling shelves in school libraries to creating a hugely successful fund-raiser to battle breast cancer; from fighting crime in Holyoke to making a community college more of a force in efforts to build a quality workforce in the region.
And in recent weeks, a number of nominations have been received that reinforce the notion that there are, indeed, many ways in which a group or individual can make a difference, said Kate Campiti, associate publisher of BusinessWest.
She noted that individuals and organizations representing several sectors, from healthcare to education to the nonprofit realm, have been nominated.
“Each year, we’re reminded that there are many ways to make a difference, and people and groups that are making a positive impact on overall quality of life in this region,” she said. “In recent years, we’ve had some hard decisions to make about who will be honored at our annual event in March, and this year is no exception.”
The class of 2014 will be selected by the editors and publishers of BusinessWest, and their stories will be told in a special section that will appear in the Feb. 10 edition of the magazine.
The annual Difference Makers awards event will be staged March 20 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. For more information on the Difference Makers program, call the magazine’s editor, George O’Brien, at (413) 781-8600, ext. 102.


Previous Difference Makers:


2009

• Doug Bowen, president and CEO of PeoplesBank;
• Kate Kane, managing director of the Springfield office of Northwestern Mutual Financial/the Zuzolo Group;
• Susan Jaye-Kaplan, founder of GoFIT and co-founder of Link to Libraries;
• William Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County; and
• The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield

2010

• The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation;
• Ellen Freyman, attorney and shareholder at Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C.;
• James Goodwin, president and CEO of the Center for Human Development;
• Carol Katz, CEO of the Loomis Communities; and
• UMass Amherst and its chancellor, Robert Holub.

2011
• Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission;
• Lucia Giuggio Carlvalho, founder of Rays of Hope;
• Don Kozera, president of Human Resources Unlimited;
• Robert Perry, retired partner/consultant with Meyers Brothers Kalicka; and
• Anthony Scott, Holyoke police chief.

2012
• Charlie and Donald D’Amour, president/COO and chairman/CEO, respectively, of Big Y Foods;
• William Messner, president of Holyoke Community College;
• Majors Tom and Linda-Jo Perks, officers of the Springfield Corps of the Salvation Army;
• Bob Schwarz, executive vice president of Peter Pan Bus Lines; and
• The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.

2013
• Michael Cutone, John Barbieri, and Thomas Sarrouf, organizers of Springfield’s C3 Policing program;
• John Downing, president of Soldier On;
• Bruce Landon, president and general manager of the Springfield Falcons;
• The Sisters of Providence; and
• Jim Vinick, senior vice president of Investments at Moors & Cabot Inc.