Baystate Named Top 100 U.S. Hospital
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Medical Center ranks among the top 100 hospitals in the nation for safe, high-quality care and value, according to global information provider Thomson Reuters. The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performances in 10 areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average patient stay, expenses, profitability, patient satisfaction, adherence to clinical standards of care, post-discharge mortality, and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia. The study has been conducted annually since 1993. “There has never before been greater scrutiny on the quality and value of the care provided in America’s hospitals, and rightly so,” said Dr. Evan Benjamin, senior vice president of Healthcare Quality for Baystate Health, in a statement. “This honor is yet another data-supported affirmation of the success we have had in ensuring that the quality of care delivered at Baystate Medical Center is second to none.”
Tighe & Bond Receives Excellence Award
WESTFIELD — The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) recently presented Tighe & Bond and the Dalton Fire District with an award for the $5.2 million design and reconstruction of Windsor Reservoir Dam in Dalton. The reconstruction of the high-profile dam, which was completed in the spring of last year, signified the largest dam repair in the state at the time. The dam impounds the 62-acre Windsor Reservoir, which serves as the district’s only backup supply for drinking water. Due to the dam size and its close proximity to numerous homes, businesses, and infrastructure, the Department of Conservation and Recreation classifies it a high-hazard dam. Over time and torrential rains, the dam’s spillway began to show signs of deterioration and needed repair. Tighe & Bond conducted dam inspections, provided evaluation reports, made recommendations, and initiated dam reconstruction. As part of the project, Tighe & Bond also engineered and oversaw the removal of a nonfunctional dam along May Brook, located within the Windsor Reservoir watershed. This activity was undertaken to provide mitigation for unavoidable impacts associated with the Windsor Dam reconstruction. The project was coordinated with the Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Environmental Protection, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Due to its remote location, small equipment was used to remove sediment trapped behind the dam and complete the dam demolition. Removal of the dam has resulted in the restoration of fish passage to approximately one mile of a designatedcold water fishery, and has been applauded by regulators. The outcome of the project resulted in improved public safety and restoration of a standby water supply for the district, as well as the restoration of May Brook’s natural environments.
STCC Graphic Arts Tech Program Receives Accreditation
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College’s Graphic Arts Technology Program has received national accreditation from PrintED, administered by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF). STCC’s program prepares students for careers in commercial printing and advertising, with courses crossing most branches of the printing industry. The associate-degree program offers two options, so that students may select a concentration in commercial art or digital photography. GAERF was founded in 1983 by three national associations — the National Assoc. for Printing Leadership, the Assoc. for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies, and the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation.
A.R. Green Certified As a Woman-Owned Business
HOLYOKE — For more than 100 years, A. R. Green & Son Inc., General Contractors, has been serving the needs of area residents with new-building construction, renovations, additions, and project management, and is now a certified woman-owned business. Karen A. Tobia-Sprague, president and owner, took over the helm of the family owned business in 2010 after receiving her degree in construction management. She noted in a statement that the firm is “poised to move forward” since it has completed specific training for the health care industry, LEED certification, and the EPA-approved lead renovator.
Tiger Press Moving to East Longmeadow
NORTHAMPTON — Reza Shafii, owner of Tiger Press, will be consolidating his Deerfield and Northampton operations and relocating to a 100,000-square-foot facility at 50 Industrial Dr. in East Longmeadow. Employees at the Deerfield site have already moved to the new location, and Shafii notes the Northampton staff will be relocated by the end of the year. He recently sold the Northampton site to David Teece of Northampton Plumbing for $2.1 million. Tiger Press is an award-winning, FSC-certified custom printing company featuring the latest digital pre-press and printing technology. The firm offers a complete range of prepress, printing, packaging, and bindery services.
Regulators Approve Bank Merger
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Connecticut Department of Banking recently approved the merger of First Niagara Financial Group Inc., and NewAlliance Bancshares Inc., clearing the way for the combination of the two organizations. The approvals on April 6 follow the recent sign-off from the Federal Reserve Board. “We are very pleased to now have received approval of our transaction from all regulators,” said First Niagara president and CEO John Koelmel in a statement. “We continue to demonstrate our readiness and preparedness to take our organization to the next level as well as our commitment to the customers and communities we serve across the franchise, which will now include Connecticut and Massachusetts.” The banks planned to open all NewAlliance locations as First Niagara branches during the week of April 18.
WNEC Law Team Wins National Championship
SPRINGFIELD — A team of students from Western New England College (WNEC) School of Law was recently crowned national champions during the second annual Transactional Lawyering Meet in Philadelphia. The team of Isaac Mass of Greenfield and Julie McKenna of Newbury Park, Calif., both third-year law students at WNEC, topped teams from 29 law schools, including a team from UCLA in the final round. The meet is the first and only moot court experience for students interested in transactional practice. The competition tests teams of law students because they represent their clients in a hypothetical business transaction. Teams entering the contest are divided into two groups and assigned a client on one side or the other in a proposed business transaction. This year’s transaction involved a local family-owned restaurant chain seeking to expand into a national chain. The WNEC team was tasked with representing the restaurant’s interests, while opponents represented an investor in a planned joint venture. Students were required to combine knowledge of contract, corporate, and securities law with business sense to develop innovative solutions for structuring the transaction. Teams were graded on interviewing skills and writing skills prior to traveling to the Earl Mack School of Law at Drexel University on March 31 and April 1 for two days of competition. There, teams paired off and were provided 80 minutes to hammer out the terms of a deal in a test of negotiating skills. Judges evaluated the effectiveness of the students in overcoming obstacles, their overall knowledge of the deal and the law, success in achieving client objectives, and professionalism. Mass and McKenna earned excellent marks throughout the process.
Infinity Brokers $1.1M Office Property
HOLYOKE — Mark Berezin, CCIM, president of Infinity Real Estate Group Inc., recently represented Fifty Five State Street LLC in negotiating the recent sale of 55 State St. in Springfield. Berezin also assisted the buyer in securing financing for the acquisition. The buyer was Briarwood Thirteen, LLC. The sale price of the three-story, fully leased office building was $1.13 million. “We consider this superb commercial building one of the finest in downtown Springfield,” said Lester Seidman, managing member of the LLC. “It’s prominence on the street, to the courts, its view from the highway, its parking lot and its interior layout make it truly a one-of-a-kind property. We are thrilled that this acquisition joins the portfolio.” To secure financing, Berezin called on the Holyoke Credit Union for the sale. “We have worked with Infinity Real Estate Group for many years in financing various projects,” said Dan O’Neill, senior vice president and commercial loan officer at the Holyoke Credit Union. “We are very pleased to be financing the acquisition of this high quality office building. It will enhance our existing commercial portfolio.”
