BusinessWest

Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• March 14: ACCGS After 5, 5-7 p.m.
• March 14: Professional Women’s Chamber Up the Ladder: The Healthcare Business, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., MassMutual Room at the Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield. Guest Speaker will be Susan Toner, vice president of Development, Baystate Health. Cost is $25 for members, $35 for non-members. Hosted by Max’s Tavern.
• March 21: ERC Board of Directors meeting, 8-9 a.m.,  the Gardens of Wilbraham Community Room, 2 Lodge Lane, Wilbraham.

Amherst Area
Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com
413-253-0700

• March 14: Chamber Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the the Courtyard by Marriott. Craig Melin, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, will will be the featured speaker. Sponsored by Cooley Dickinson Hospital and VNA & Hospice of Northampton. Cost is $5 for members, $10 for non-members.
• March 28: Margarita Madness, 5-7 p.m., at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The public is invited to this margarita-tasting event; guests can sample 12 margaritas and vote for their favorites. The cost is $25 per person, $40 per couple. Chamber members, $20 per person. Sponsored by MassLive.com, the Valley Advocate, Greenfield Savings Bank, Applewood at Amherst, Copycat Amherst, Encharter Insurance LLC, Hope & Feathers Framing, Johnny’s Tavern, Judie’s Restaurant, 30 Boltwood, Lit, the Pub, UMass Fine Arts Center, Your Promotional Consultant/NEPM, and more.

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

• March 21: March Salute Breakfast,  7:15-9 a.m. at the MassMutual Learning & Conference Center, 350 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Tickets are $19 for members and $26 for non-members. Sign up online at www.chicopeechamber.org
• March 21: Table Top Expo & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road in Holyoke. Presented by the Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, Greater Easthampton, and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce. More than 175 exhibitors and 600 visitors are expected. Tickets are $5 pre-registered, $10 at the door. Sign up online at www.chicopeechamber.org

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

• March 23: Monthly Chamber Breakfast Series, 7:30-9 a.m., Greenfield Grille, Federal St., Greenfield. Theme: “Art and Business in Partnership: Fostering Our Local Economy.” The keynote speaker will be Peter Kageyama, authority on community development. Presenters: Meri Jenkins, Mass. Cultural Council; Matthew Glassman, Double Edge Theater; Dee Schneidman, New England Foundation for the Arts; and Erica Wheeler, Soulful Landscape Program. Tickets: $12 for members, $15 for non-members. Sponsored by Greenfield Savings Bank. This is followed by the Creative Economy Summit 3 in downtown Greenfield, March 23 and 24. Theme is “Art and Business in Partnership.” Admission is $35. Features practical workshops for two days, and many noted speakers and presenters; www.creativeeconomysummit.com

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

• March 16: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, noon-2 p.m., at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, One Atwood Dr., Northampton. Honored guest: Molly Bialecki, Distinguished Young Woman of Greater Easthampton. Sponsored by Easthampton Learning Foundation and Finck & Perras Insurance Agency. Tickets are $21.95 for members, $23.95 for non-members.
• March 21: 18th annual Table Top Exposition & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m, at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Presented by the Greater Easthampton, Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce. Exhibitor table fee: $100 (must be a member). Contact participating chambers for more info. Attendee-only tickets: $5 in advance, $10 at the door.

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

• March 15: St. Patrick’s Salute Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. Cost: $20.
• March 19: Checkpoint Legislative Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. Presented by Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, and Greater Westfield chambers of Commerce. Keynote speaker will be U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. Sponsored by Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services Co.; Associated Industries of Massachusetts; Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn, LLC; Columbia Gas of Massachusetts; Mestek Inc.; GZA Proactive by Design; and Westfield Bank. Cost: $35 for members of presenting chambers, $45 for non-members.
• March 21: Table Top Expo, 4:30-7 p.m. (March 28 snow date), at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. Presented by the Greater Holyoke, Chicopee, Greater Easthampton, and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce. Annual event with up to 180 exhibitors and 700 attendees. Tables (members of presenting chambers only) are $100. Attendee cost: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. For a list of sponsors, check the BusinessWest ad.

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

• March 21: 18th Annual Table Top Exposition & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m., at the the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door.

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

• March 16: Annual St. Patrick Day’s Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m. at Westfield State University, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Guest speaker will be George O’Brien, editor of BusinessWest Magazine. Entertainment by some of the Dan Kane Singers. Cost: $25 for chamber members, $30 for non-members. To reserve tickets, contact Carrie Dearing at (413) 568-1618 or info@westfieldbiz.org
• March 19: CheckPoint 2012 Annual Legislative Luncheon at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Keynote speaker is U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. A collaboration between the Greater Westfield, Chicopee, and Greater Holyoke chambers of commerce. Cost: $35 for chamber members, $45 for non-members. To reserve tickets, contact Carrie Dearing at (413) 568-1618 or info@westfieldbiz.org
• March 28: WestNet Plus One!, 5- 7 p.m. Come and network with fellow chamber members and meet new members and businesses in the area. Guest speaker will be Patrick Berry, president of the Westfield News. Hosted by PeoplesBank, 281 East Main St., Westfield.  Cost: $10 for chamber members, $15 cash for non-members. Don’t forget your business cards! To register, contact Carrie Dearing at (413) 568-1618 or info@westfieldbiz.org
• March 31: 2012 Spring Southwick Economic Development Commission (EDC) Home & Business Show, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway. This tabletop exhibit of Southwick businesses is free to the public, and the EDC will be collecting non-perishable food items for the local food pantry. Several free seminars will be held. Visit www.southwickma.info for more information.

Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield
www.springfieldyps.com

• March 15: March Third Thursday Networking/Social Event, 5-7 p.m.,
the Still Bar & Grill,  858 Suffield St., Agawam. This event is, as always, free for YPS members and $10 for non-members, and will include food and a cash bar.

‘Music for the Eyes’ Exhibition, Reception
Through April 7: The artwork of Preston Trombly, host of Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s nationally broadcast Symphony Hall channel, titled “Music for the Eyes,” will be exhibited through April 7 at the Arno Maris Gallery in Ely Hall on the Westfield State University campus. An artist reception at the gallery is planned for Feb. 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. On March 7 at 9:30 a.m., Trombly will present a lecture on his work at the gallery titled “Confluence of Creativity: Similarities Between Composing Music and Making Visual Art.” Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call (413) 572-4400 or visit www.westfield.ma.edu/galleries.

Women in Philanthropy Conference
March 13: Women in Philanthropy of Western Mass. will host a conference titled “Growing Philanthropy, New Visions, New Voices,” from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. The event features nationally known leaders in the field of fund development, and is appropriate for women and men who are seasoned professionals or newcomers to the field. Workshops will be led by Penelope Burk, author of Donor-Centered Fundraising; Phil Cubeta, chair in Philanthropy of the American College; and Karen Osborne, president of the Osborne Group. The keynote address, titled “New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector,” will be presented by Rosetta Thurman. In addition, sessions will be led by Diana McLain Smith, chief transformation officer of New Profit Inc.; Kristin Leutz and Katie Allan Zobel of the Community Foundation of Western Mass.; Phyllis Williams-Thompson of the Prematurity Campaign of the March of Dimes; Deborah Koch, director of grants at Springfield Technical Community College; Dennis Bidwell of Bidwell Advisors; and Joe Waters and Joanna MacDonald, co-authors of Cause Marketing for Dummies. For more conference details, visit www.wipwm.com. The cost of the conference, with an early discount, is $140. For more information, contact Carol Constant at (413) 222-1761 or cconstant@loomiscommunities.org.

Economics Conference
March 13: The Department of Economics at Western New England University in Springfield will host its ninth annual Jolicoeur Economics Conference from 9:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in Sleith Hall Auditorium. “Economics of the 2012 Election” will be the topic of the event, which is free and open to the public. The conference will feature two sessions: “The Economy and the Great Recession,” from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m., and “The 99% and the 1%,” from 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. For more information, visit www.wne.edu.

Financing Your Business
March 16: The Mass. Small Business Development Center Network will host a lecture titled “Financing Your Business” from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. Speakers will include Ray Milano of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Gary Besser of First Niagara Bank, and Christopher Sikes, director of Common Capital Inc. Topics include what lenders are looking for, SBA loan programs, new SBA programs, and venture capital and grants. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass. The cost is $40.

Pioneer Valley USO Gala
March 16: The Log Cabin on Easthampton Road in Holyoke will be the setting for the second annual dinner-dance gala of the Pioneer Valley USO. The featured speaker will be American Captain Richard Phillips, who offered himself as a hostage to save his crew from Somali pirates and was freed in a high-seas rescue by U.S. Navy SEALS. The gala theme will be “Proud to be an American.” A cocktail hour at 6 p.m. will be followed by the dinner program at 7. Heroes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and top Pioneer Valley USO supporters will be honored. The Western Massachusetts All Stars Band, led by Joe Pereira, will provide the evening’s entertainment. Tickets are $45 per person and are available online at www.pioneervalleyuso.org or by calling (413) 557-3290. Tickets are limited. The mission of the Pioneer Valley USO is to “lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families.”

Difference Makers
March 22: BusinessWest will stage its Fourth Annual Difference Makers Celebration at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. The program recognizes area individuals and organizations that are truly making a difference in this region. This year’s honorees are:
• Donald and Charlie D’Amour, chairman/CEO and president/COO, respectively, of Big Y Foods;
• William Messner, president of Holyoke Community College;
• Majors Tom and Linda-Jo Perks, officers with 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.
The awards ceremony will feature entertainment, butlered hors d’ oeuvres, and introductions of the winners. Tickets are $55 per person, with tables of 10 available. For more information or to order tickets, call (413) 781-8600, e-mail marketing@businesswest.com, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Women’s Leadership Conference
March 23: Keynote speakers Sister Helen Prejean, Marjora Carter, and Ashley Judd will share personal stories, as well as insightful advice and perspectives, during Bay Path College’s annual event at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. The theme for the 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. event is “Lead with Compassion.” Prejean is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille and an anti-death penalty activist, while Carter, an eco-entrepreneur, is president of the Majora Carter Group, and Judd is a film and stage actor and human-rights activist. For more information on the conference or to register, visit www.baypathconference.com or call Briana Sitler, director of special programs, at (413) 565-1066.

Author Lecture
March 28: Internationally acclaimed author Tom Perrotta will read from his upcoming novel, The Leftovers, at 10:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. in Scibelli Hall Theater, as part of the Ovations series at Springfield Technical Community College. The talks are free and open to the public. Two of Perrotta’s books, Election and Little Children, have been made into movies, and five novels have been national bestsellers. For more information, call (413) 755-4233.

ADA, FMLA Workshop
March 29: Royal LLP, in conjunction with the Human Service Forum, will present a workshop at the Delaney House in Holyoke on the compliance issues involving the ADA and FMLA. The interactive workshop addresses some of the most common questions that upper management faces each day. Attendees will learn skills and strategies that can help reduce the risk of employment litigation. For more information on the 8:30 a.m. to noon event, contact Ann-Marie Marcil at (413) 586-2288 or visit www.humanserviceforum.org.

Not Just Business as Usual
April 5: Former NBA player and businessman Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman will be the guest speaker at the Springfield Technical Community College Foundation’s third annual Not Just Business as Usual event at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. A cocktail and networking reception is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m., followed by the dinner program from 7 to 9 p.m. Bridgeman spent most of his 12-year NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, but also played for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the current franchise owner of more than 160 Wendy’s and 120 Chili’s restaurants. The event encourages local businesses to come together for an evening to network, learn from one another, and support student success. Funds from the event will provide students access to opportunities through scholarships, technology, and career direction to be successful future employees and citizens. “It’s a time to celebrate innovations, change, and our region’s success,” said STCC Foundation Interim Director Robert LePage. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available, and individual tickets are $175 each. For more information, contact LePage at (413) 755-4477 or rglepage@stcc.edu.

Constitution Café
April 10: Author and philosopher Christopher Phillips’ latest book, Constitution Café, draws on the nation’s rebellious past to incite meaningful change today. He proposes that Americans revise the Constitution every so often, not just to reflect the changing times, but to revive and perpetuate the original revolutionary spirit. He will present a free lecture at 8 p.m. in the dining hall at Blake Student Commons, on the Bay Path College campus, 588 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow. The lecture is part of the annual Kaleidoscope series. For more information, call (413) 565-1000 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Marketing Basics Seminar
April 11: The Mass. Small Business Development Center Network will host a lecture titled “Marketing Basics” from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Dianne Doherty of the MSBDC Network will present the workshop that will focus on the basic disciplines of marketing, beginning with research (primary, secondary, qualitative, and quantitative). For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass. The cost is $40.

Slam Poet Lecture
April 13: Taylor Mali, a former high-school teacher who has emerged from the slam-poetry movement as one of its leaders, will discuss his performances at 10:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. in Scibelli Hall Theater, as part of the Ovations series at Springfield Technical Community College. The talks are free and open to the public. For more information, call (413) 755-4233.

Comedy Night to
Benefit Charities
April 21: Smith & Wesson Corp. will host a benefit comedy show to support two local children’s charities, the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Ronald McDonald House, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Cedars Banquet Hall, 419 Island Pond Road, Springfield. Tickets are $30 per person, and include the show, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres prior to the show, a cash bar, raffles, fund-raising, games, and music. Teddie Barrett of Teddie B. Comedy will emcee the event, featuring professional comedians Bill Campbell, Dan Crohn, and Stacy Yannetty Pema. For tickets or more information, contact Phyllis Settembro, Smith & Wesson, (413) 747-3597; Karen Motyka, Shriners Hospital, (413) 787-2032; or Jennifer Putnam, Ronald McDonald House, (413) 794-5683.

Walk of Champions
May 6: The Goodnough Dike area of the Quabbin Reservoir will be the setting for the seventh annual Walk of Champions in Ware. Participants walk in honor or in memory of loved ones affected by cancer, with the determination to make a difference in those affected by the disease. The event offers a five-mile or two-mile walk, with entertainment and refreshments along the route. For more information, visit www.baystatehealth.org/woc or e-mail Michelle Graci, manager of fund-raising events at Baystate Health at michelle.graci@baystatehealth.org.

Small-business Seminar
May 16: Local business owners will talk about what they have done to keep ahead of the many demands on their time, and at the same time adjust for the economic environment, during a workshop titled “Adapt, Diversify, Reinvent & Grow” at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. Presenters include Paul DiGrigoli of Digrigoli Salon & School of Cosmetology; Tara Tetreault of Jackson & Connor; Kate Vishnyakov of Kate Gray Inc.; and Rick Ricard of Larien Products. The 9 to 11 a.m. session is sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Management Fundamentals Workshop
May 24: Lyne Kendall of the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network will present “Business Plan Basics” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Amherst Town Hall, first floor meeting room, 4 Boltwood Walk. The workshop will focus on management fundamentals from startup considerations through business-plan development. Topics will include financing, marketing, and business planning. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

40 Under Forty
June 21: BusinessWest will present its sixth class of regional rising stars at its annual 40 Under Forty gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. Nominations are currently being scored by a panel of five judges. The 40 highest scorers will be feted at the June 21 gala, which will feature music, lavish food stations, and introductions of the winners. Tickets are $60 per person, with tables of 10 available. Early registration is advised, as seating is limited. For more information, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Western Mass.
Business Expo
Oct. 11: BusinessWest will again present the Western Mass. Business Expo. The event, which made its debut last fall at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, will feature more than 180 exhibitors, seminars, special presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and the year’s most extensive networking opportunity. Comcast Business Class will again be the presenting sponsor of the event. Details, including breakfast and lunch agendas, seminar topics, and featured speakers, will be printed in the pages of BusinessWest over the coming months. For more information or to purchase a booth, call (413) 781-8600, or e-mail marketing@businesswest.com, or visit www.wmbexpo.com.

Kathleen Anderson has been named President of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. Anderson, who was formerly director of Planning and Development for the City of Holyoke, will succeed Doris Ransford, who announced her retirement as of May 31. In her new capacity, Anderson will also lead the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation, a nonprofit workforce-development and education affiliate of the chamber. Anderson had held her most recent position since 2006, and previously served as director of Holyoke’s management-assistance program beginning in 1999. She earned an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Holyoke Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Fitchburg State College. Anderson presently serves as vice president of the Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and a director of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and CareerPoint.
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Collin Mack has been hired by Watkins Strategies of Quincy as a Community Relations Specialist. He will work out of the Chicopee and East Windsor, Conn. offices, and will focus on a major utility-construction project that spans cities and towns in Western Mass. and Connecticut.
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Warren Izyk has been promoted to Assistant Manager at North Brookfield Savings Bank’s Belchertown branch.
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InteliCoat Technologies of South Hadley has hired Tom Shea as its Northeast Regional Sales Manager. He will provide additional support for InteliCoat’s dealers in the Northeast, including the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
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First Niagara Bank has named John K. Jepson Jr. Vice President of Commercial Lending for Northern Conn. and Western Mass. He will develop and manage commercial relationships throughout the region, serving businesses with annual revenues ranging from $2 million to $25 million. He will also support the bank’s existing commercial relationships, and will be responsible for generating new commercial-banking opportunities by growing commercial loans and deposit relationships with area businesses.
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Eric D. Jalbert has been hired by NUVO Bank in Springfield as a Credit Analyst. He will work with the NUVO lenders on customer financial analysis, preparing commercial-loan-request proposals, annual loan reviews, analysis of loan risk ratings, creating reports and summaries, producing in-house and regulatory reports, and maintaining related records.
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Elizabeth Marino has been named Executive Director of Summer Search, the nonprofit, year-round program that works with low-income Boston public high-school students to help them enter and graduate from college. Summer Search, based in Jamaica Plain, serves 375 students, with an average family income of $22,000. It provides participants with intensive mentoring, experiential summer programs, and college-advising services and a lasting support network.
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Hogan Technology of Easthampton, formerly Hogan Communications, has hired Corey Harris as its IT Manager. His new role is dedicated to the Managed IT Support Team.
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Jessica Phaneuf of Fitness Together in Amherst was one of four franchise owners recognized at the franchise’s annual Massachusetts awards dinner on Feb. 2 in Stoneham. Phaneuf opened the Amherst location in 2008 and purchased the Northampton studio in 2010. Fitness Together specializes in weight loss, injury prevention and rehabilitation, endurance, and weight training. Phaneuf’s clientele ranges in age from 13 to 90.
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Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts in Springfield announced the following:
• Harry Gilligan, Owner of Breakthrough Business Advisors, LLC, has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors;
• Thomas Fox, Community Outreach Director for Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp., has been named Vice Chairman; and
• James Fydenkevez, Investment Analyst at Babson Capital Management, has been named to the Board.
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TD Bank of Springfield has promoted Miriam Ramos to Store Manager of the store located at 619 Chestnut St. in Springfield. She is responsible for new-business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing the day-to-day operations.
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Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. of Springfield has announced that Jay M. Presser, Partner, has been recognized as a 2012 Top-Rated Lawyer for his work in labor and employment law by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. Presser received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating, AV Preeminent. The peer-review ratings are objective indicators of lawyers’ ethical standards and professional abilities. Ratings are determined through evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the U.S. and Canada, and reflect a combination of a Very High General Ethical Standards rating and a Legal Ability numerical rating. A threshold number of responses are required to achieve a rating. Presser practices labor and employment law exclusively on behalf of management. Head of the litigation practice, he has more than 30 years of experience litigating employment cases before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination, and the state Labor Relations Commission.
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The Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission announced the following:
• Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan has been named a Commissioner; and
• Dr. Neil Minkoff, Founder of FountainHead HealthCare, has been named a Commissioner.
The state agency, established in 1955, provides health and other benefits to Massachusetts employees, retirees, and their families, and health-only benefits to participating municipalities.
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The Loomis Communities announced the following:
• Greg Sheehan has been elected to the Board of Directors. Sheehan is Executive Vice President at Pension & Benefits Associates; and
• Gale McClung has been elected to the Board of Directors. She is a resident at Applewood at Amherst. She is an editor for the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, a former methods analyst for IBM, and a former Amherst Town Meeting member.
• Other members of the board include: David Healey, Kay Sordillo, Nancy Eddy, Wayne Gass, Norman Halpern, Gwendolyn Jones Boisseau, Sara Lawrence, Ann McIntosh, Venus Robinson, Thomas Senecal, Mary-Anne Stearns, Joan Steiger, and Richard Whiting.
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Jeffrey O’Connor has been named Director of Growth and Development and is also the Office Manager of the new Chicopee location of Martinelli, Martini & Gallagher Real Estate.
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The Greenfield Community College Board of Trustees has announced the following:
• Realtor Rob Cohn has been elected Chairman of the Board. He is owner of Cohn and Co. in Greenfield; and
• Attorney Liz Sillin has been elected Vice Chairwoman of the Board. She is a Partner in the law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield.
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Carole Desroches has been named Assistant Vice President and Investment Officer at Westfield Bank. She will work with the bank’s investment portfolio to develop new strategies and provide ongoing analysis.
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Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England has announced that several sales associates completed the course “Working with Multicultural Clients: at Home with Diversity.” The course teaches Realtors how to work effectively with and within a rapidly changing multicultural market. Sales associates who completed the course are:
• Janet Bergeron and Raymond Hoess-Brooks of the Chicopee office;
• Sharron Cochran, Beth Costello, Michelle Deslauriers, Crystal Diamond, Linda Fawcett, Diane Fisher, Dottie Maiwald, Rosemary Murphy, Ellen Clifford-McGuire, Marilyn Pinto, Marilyn Spears, Helen Teree, and Barbara Vaughn, all of the Longmeadow office; and
• Rita Slasinski and Mary Mangini of the Westfield office.

First Niagara Invests $50,000 to Support
At-risk Teens
SPRINGFIELD — The YMCA of Greater Springfield and the YMCA of Greater Hartford have received $50,000 grants from First Niagara Bank to support their Y-AIM Programs. Y-AIM (Achieve academically; Inspire to attend college; Move toward personal, family, and community advancement) works to provide talented, underachieving at-risk youths entering the ninth grade with a solid support system throughout all four years of high school. The YMCAs are taking a regional approach to overcoming the obstacles young people face on the path to success. “Business partners in our region have long supported the mission of the YMCA — particularly our work with teens,” said Kirk Smith, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield. “First Niagara and its employees have given thousands of volunteer service hours to young people throughout the Northeast, and they are making the Hartford/Springfield region a better place for kids and families. We are grateful for their forward-thinking approach of addressing these vital needs on a regional basis.”

Hampden Bancorp Feted by Boston Club for Women on Board of Directors
SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Bancorp, the parent company of Hampden Bank, was recently recognized by the Boston Club as one of the leading New England companies having two or more women serving on its board of directors. This recognition, reserved for those organizations dedicated to the advancement of women to top leadership positions, was presented at the club’s annual Corporate Salute in Marblehead. “We are especially proud of this recognition in that it confirms what we have always believed — that leadership is leadership regardless of gender,” said Glenn Welch, president and COO of Hampden Bank and board member of Hampden Bancorp Inc. “We are also extremely proud of the women who serve in key leadership positions, including our senior management team and throughout our entire organization.” Hampden Bancorp has 11 members on its board of directors, including Judith Kennedy; Kathleen O’Brien Moore; Arlene Putnam; Mary Ellen Scott; Linda Silva Thompson; Thomas Burton, vice chair; Richard Kos; Stanley Kowalski Jr.; Richard Suski; Welch; and Stuart Young Jr., chairman of the board. The Boston Club is one of the largest communities of women executives and professional leaders in the Northeast. Its goal is to impel the advancement of women to top leadership positions.

Link to Libraries
Receives Award from Monson Savings
MONSON — Link to Libraries was among the top 10 organizations recently recognized by Monson Savings Bank through its community-giving program. More than 65 organizations doing community-service work participated in the voting, and Link to Libraries came in as one of the top 10 organizations honored by public vote. “It is an honor to be recognized for work we do in the community and to be recognized by both Monson Savings Bank and the public,” said Susan Jaye-Kaplan, Link to Libraries co-founder. “We truly feel privileged to do the work we do and thank Steven Lowell and the Monson Savings Bank community.” Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank, made the recent presentation to Jaye-Kaplan. Link to Libraries is a local, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to donate books to underserved youth in public elementary schools and nonprofit organizations in Western Mass. and Connecticut. For more information, visit www.linktolibraries.org or call (413) 224-1031.

Stevens 470 Updates Marketing Strategies
for Arbors Kids
WESTFIELD — Stevens 470 recently developed advertising and marketing materials for the Arbors Kids, a family-owned business that offers child-care services, summer camps, and before- and afterschool programs. The Arbors Kids also recently opened an additional child-care center in East Longmeadow. The project also included a brand update, with new collateral and information sheets for every Arbors Kids location. Stevens 470 also designed and built a new Web site that reflects the wide range of child-care services offered by the Arbors Kids. The new Web site is easy to navigate and built on a content-management system that allows the Arbors Kids to edit and create its own content, as well as update and manage pages. The Web site also features responsive design that will change in appearance to fit the viewer’s screen size (computer, tablet, or smartphone) for maximum readability. For more information on the Arbors Kids, visit www.arborskids.com.

Students Plan
Globetrotting Excursions During Spring Vacation
WILBRAHAM — Many students at Wilbraham & Monson Academy will travel the globe on school-sponsored trips that include India, England, and Italy during the school’s March vacation. Trips are offered to provide students with a deeper understanding of the places, people, and cultures they study at the academy. Students traveling to India will spend the school’s traditional spring vacation learning about the economic shifts within the world’s largest democracy and the diversity of religions that coexist in the subcontinent. Students traveling to England will be housed at Plymouth College, a boarding school where they will be immersed in British boarding-school life. Additionally, the group will spend time visiting historical sites in the south of England as well as London. In Italy, students will explore some of the most remarkable contributions to Western art and design from Italian culture, ranging from the ancient Romans to modern designers. Before each trip, students are given selected readings that will prepare them for the sites they will visit and give them appropriate cultural, historic, and political information about the country.

Federal Budget Cuts Would Impact Bay State
BOSTON — With a precarious economic recovery to preserve, currently mandated federal spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years are set to begin in 2013. The Budget Control Act of 2011 requires that these cuts be split equally between defense and non-defense programs, and they include reductions to Medicare and other mandatory spending programs. Assuming that the cuts will be enacted in accordance with the Budget Control Act, MassBenchmarks used REMI, a forecasting and comprehensive economic tool that answers ‘what-if’ questions about the state’s economy, to estimate the potential impact the cuts would have in Massachusetts. MassBenchmarks is published by the UMass Donahue Institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The Donahue Institute is the public-service, outreach, and economic-development unit of the UMass Office of the President. While Massachusetts relies heavily on federal defense spending, other leading industries would also be substantially affected, including professional and technical services, health care, and social assistance, resulting in approximately 52,000 jobs lost, according to the study. The types of jobs expected to be lost range widely, but on average they require higher levels of educational attainment and are high-paying with benefits. Significantly, they are within the sectors that have allowed the Massachusetts economy to outperform the nation in recent years, a fact that underscores the stakes for the Bay State in ongoing federal budget debates, according to Dr. Martin Romitti, MassBenchmarks managing editor and director of economic and public policy. “A reduction in state employment of 52,000 is more than 20% larger than the entire net increase in employment the Commonwealth experienced during 2011, when net job growth was an estimated 40,500,” said Romitti. “The pattern of these job losses strike at the very heart of the Massachusetts innovation economy. In addition to the 10,000+ federal civilian and military jobs that our model estimates would be lost, other leading industries would be substantially affected.” The study estimates that professional and technical services would experience a loss of nearly 10,000, health care and social assistance would lose more than 6,000. “What is not captured fully by these numbers is the collateral damage the cuts could trigger,” Romitti continued. “There is no way to conjecture what future innovations would be lost without the support to the state’s high-technology sector provided by federal dollars. A large number of important inventions and innovations in modern times can be traced to federal support of research and development.” Dr. Robert Nakosteen, MassBenchmarks executive editor and professor of Economics at UMass Amherst, echoed those sentiments. “These clusters require a critical mass of activity to thrive, and large federal budget cuts threaten this diverse community of firms,” he said. “These budget and job cuts are not inevitable. Congress and the president could finally agree on a grand bargain to rationalize budget cuts and combine them with revenue increases. The allocation of cuts could also be very different than our assumptions in making these estimates, which are based on the sequestration rules and past patterns of sector-specific expenditures in Massachusetts. It is possible, for instance … that a leaner military could depend on more high-technology support systems, favoring the state’s comparative advantage.”

Report: Bank Customer Switching Rates Rise Again
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Consumer backlash against bank fees, coupled with poor service and unmet customer expectations, has fueled increases in defection rates among customers of large, regional, and midsize banks, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Bank Customer Switching and Acquisition Study recently released. On the heels of Bank Transfer Day on Nov. 5, 2011, the beneficiaries of the accelerated exodus from larger banks are primarily smaller banks and credit unions. Acquisition of new customers by smaller banks and credit unions has increased by 2.2 percentage points to an average of 10.3% in 2012 from 8.1% in 2011. Among big banks, regional banks, and midsize banks, switching rates average between 10% and 11.3%, while the defection rate for small banks and credit unions averages only 0.9%, a significant drop from 8.8% in 2011. The study, which examines the bank shopping and selection process, finds that 9.6% of customers in 2012 indicate they switched their primary banking institution during the past year to a new provider. This is up from 8.7% in 2011 and 7.7% in 2010. The study finds that, not unexpectedly, fees are the main reason customers shop for a new primary bank. In particular, one-third of customers of big and large regional banks cite fees as the main shopping trigger. “When banks announce the implementation of new fees, public reaction can be quite volatile and result in customers voting with their feet,” said Michael Beird, director of the banking services practice at J.D. Power and Associates. However, according to Beird, customers weigh the price they pay against the value of their experience. “It is apparent that new or increased fees are the proverbial straws that break the camel’s back,” said Beird. “Service experiences that fall below customer expectations are a powerful influencer that primes customers for switching once a subsequent event gives them a final reason to defect. Regardless of bank size, more than one-half of all customers who said fees were the main reason to shop for another bank also indicated that their prior bank provided poor service.” In capturing customers who are shopping for a new bank, several of the more successful banks achieve higher acquisition rates through the use of promotions and cash incentives. Nearly 20% of customers indicate these promotions were the reason they selected their new bank. However, according to Beird, doing a good job for customers is not just about dollars, but also about loyalty and retention. “Only 32% of customers who selected a new bank because of promotional offerings said they definitely would not switch banks again in the next 12 months,” he said. “In comparison, 46% to 51% of customers who chose the new bank because of either good service experience or positive recommendations say they definitely will not leave within the next year.”

Students Protest Community-college
Board Consolidation
HOLYOKE — Occupy Holyoke Community College (OHCC) facilitated a campus-wide student walkout at the college on March 1 as part of a nationwide day of student action. The event took place on the plaza and featured speakers, music, and a speak-out. It was noted that students “are deeply concerned with Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to consolidate the community-college boards of Massachusetts.” Speakers cited research that indicates that the student voice has been shut out of this decision. Overall, students felt “disheartened” that Patrick would target a plan for workforce development at schools that serve a diverse student population that includes low-income and non-traditional students. Protest organizers noted that a petition circulated that day stated that students will not allow the campus to become a location “simply used for job training.” The petition will be delivered to Patrick’s office in the coming weeks.

New business incorporations were not available at press time. They will be published in the next issue of BusinessWest.