WNEC Named Employer of the Year
SPRINGFIELD — Western New England College has been honored as ‘Employer of the Year’ by the Employers Association of the Northeast, the second straight year the college has been recognized in the nonprofit/over-100-employees category. Awards are based on several criteria, including effective communication, fostering employee input and feedback, encouraging professional development, fostering work/life balance, and promoting a positive, professional culture while valuing diversity and individuality.
Law Firm Opens Northampton Office
NORTHAMPTON — Springfield-based Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C., recently opened a new office at 60 State St. Attorney Thomas M. Growhoski has joined the firm and will serve as lead attorney in the Northampton office.
Big Y Plans 2008 Store Opening in North Branford
SPRINGFIELD — Big Y recently announced plans to open a World Class Market in North Branford, Conn., in early 2008, subject to obtaining development approvals from the Town of North Branford. Big Y’s proposed 63,000-square-foot supermarket will be developed by Julian Enterprises of West Haven, Conn., which has filed a site plan application on a 10-acre site at 1289 Foxon Road. The North Branford location will be Big Y’s 59th store and the fifth in New Haven County. The proposed supermarket represents an investment of more than $5 million by Big Y into the local community.
Holyoke Credit Union Set to Expand Operations
HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Credit Union will open a second full-service location at 333 Elm St., West Springfield, in the spring. The added location will feature a full-service walk-in facility and a drive-thru window. The Holyoke Credit Union is available to anyone who lives or works in Hampden or Hampshire counties. For more information, visit www.holyokecu.com.
Verizon Wireless Network Expands into Northampton
NORTHAMPTON — Verizon Wireless has expanded its network in Hampshire County with the addition of a new cell site. The new site increases coverage and capacity along Routes 10 and 66 in the city. The network expansion is part of the company’s aggressive multi-billion-dollar network investment each year, including well over $300 million in New England in 2005 alone, to stay abreast of the growing demand for voice and data services.
HCC Featured in Periodical
HOLYOKE — The history-making success of Holyoke Community College’s “Gift of Opportunity Campaign” was the subject of a feature article in the Oct. 27 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Officially launched in 2004, the campaign secured an unprecedented $5.2 million, including a $500,000 commitment from the college’s alumni. The article, titled Coming to a Community College Near You, highlights the efforts of Alumni Director Joanna Brown in securing the largest-ever commitment from a Massachusetts community college alumni group. Other hallmarks of the campaign include: 46% of faculty and staff participated in the campaign, there was 100% participation from the HCC Foundation Board of Directors and the HCC Board of Trustees, and more than 50% of contributors were first-time HCC donors.
Alumnus Donates $1 Million to WNEC
SPRINGFIELD — Western New England College has received one of the largest gifts in its history — a $1 million donation from The Phyllis and Donald Campbell Charitable Foundation. The donation will support WNEC’s recently unveiled $20 million fundraising effort, “Transformations: The Campaign for Western New England College.” Donald G. Campbell is Vice Chairman of the TJX Companies Inc., and serves on the college’s Board of Trustees. Campbell received his bachelor’s degree in finance in 1973 and his MBA in 1979 from WNEC. Campbell and his wife, Phyllis, a Springfield native, have established the Steerage Rock Endowed Scholarship to provide financial aid through the college’s School of Business for students from Brimfield, Holland, Monson, Wales, or Warren. To date, ‘Transformations’ has raised more than $15.5 million to support college projects.
