Company Notebook

AIC Announces ‘Pathway to Progress’ Business Plan

SPRINGFIELD — On Nov. 13, American International College (AIC) announced an expansive organizational business plan that will guide the college over the next several years. Dubbed “Pathway to Progress,” the comprehensive document presents a wide array of changes to the college’s operational model, including revising the academic portfolio, expanding degree options, launching new enrollment strategies, and streamlining athletic programming. Developed in alignment with the college’s 2022-27 strategic plan by members of senior leadership in tandem with a nationally recognized educational consulting partner, the plan includes the following initiatives:

• To support the ongoing growth of AIC’s academic portfolio, the college will expand faculty options by introducing multi-year contracts, including a new professor of Practice role, alongside the existing tenure-track pathway and adjunct/part-time faculty roles.

• Most full-time faculty will shift to a 5/5 teaching load to better meet academic demands, with course registration moving to the staff advisors.

• AIC will continue the expansion of its degree offerings, with a multi-year plan to continue launching new programs based on industry demand and market research. With this transition, some undergraduate and graduate programs will be discontinued. Faculty positions will not be affected. Following the previously announced launch of seven new online degree completion programs, the college plans to expand the number of program offerings beginning in the fall of 2025.

• To meet growing industry demand, AIC will begin offering three-year, 120-credit bachelor’s degree options for a variety of undergraduate programs to provide time and financial savings to students.

• Beginning in 2025, AIC will launch a comprehensive re-enrollment campaign to engage and recruit former students to return to AIC and complete their degrees.

• Following the close of the 2024-25 season, the men’s ice hockey program will return to NCAA Division II competition from Division I, positioning it alongside the majority of AIC’s varsity programs. This transition will provide a more equitable distribution of resources among all athletic programs and will allow ice hockey’s legacy to continue within the AIC Athletics portfolio. All scholarships for affected athletes will be honored following this transition.

• Effective May 2025, the college will discontinue its women’s tennis and wrestling programs to better meet industry demand and provide additional resources to its other varsity sports. All scholarships for affected athletes will be honored following this transition.

Design Professionals Inc. Relocates to South Windsor

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. — Design Professionals Inc. (DPI) announced that the firm has moved to a larger (6,250 square feet) office location at 58 Connecticut Ave., Suite H, South Windsor, Conn. Design Professionals is a civil-engineering, land-surveying, land-planning, and landscape-architecture consulting practice serving Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It offers comprehensive site-design and land-surveying services. Serving private- and public-sector clients since its inception in 1986, DPI has participated in more than 5,000 projects in more than 225 New England communities. On an annual basis, it typically adds more than 125 engagements.

Greenfield Co-op Supports Children’s Advocacy Center

GREENFIELD — On Oct. 28, Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) presented a contribution to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County & North Quabbin (CAC) to support its new site in Orange. The new location will enable CAC to expand its vital services to the Orange and Athol communities. CAC’s mission is to prevent and end child abuse by providing education, safety, healing, and justice. The organization works to coordinate medical, legal, educational, and mental-health services to promote safety, justice, healing, and hope for child victims of abuse. Its new site in Orange is expected to open before the end of the year.

Big Y Named a Forbes Best-in-State Employer

SPRINGFIELD — For the sixth year in a row, Big Y has been recognized as a Forbes Best-in-State Employer for 2024. Honorees have been identified across all industries based upon an independent survey of employees who anonymously recommend their employers for this award. Employers such as Big Y neither have the knowledge of which employees are polled, nor do they have the ability to influence the results in any way. According to Forbes, employees are asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family. Employees are also asked to give their opinions on a series of statements surrounding work-related topics such as working conditions, salary, potential for development, and company image regarding their current employer. Big Y’s award spans 25 different industries. Big Y puts a strong emphasis on employee experience and feedback focusing on flexibility, overall recognition, work/life balance, and fostering a culture of caring and inclusion. It engages in employee roundtables, focus groups, employee resource groups and frequent surveys to solicit feedback on improving the work environment.

PDS Engineering & Construction Building Self-storage Facility

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. — PDS Engineering & Construction Inc. recently broke ground on a three-story, 61,000-square-foot self-storage facility at 275 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow, which will feature more than 500 storage units. The project will include a storage steel structure, site work, concrete, two elevators, two stairwells, office space, a glass curtain wall, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sprinkler, modern interior finishes, and more. The project will take approximately 10 months to complete, with a schedule completion date of June 2025. PDS Engineering & Construction Inc. has been a design-build general contractor for 59 years throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Cooley Dickinson, GSB Unveil Hospital-based ATM

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital recently welcomed a new addition to its main lobby hallway: a Greenfield Savings Bank ATM. The newly installed Greenfield Savings Bank ATM is located down the hall from the gift shop. Now through March 2025, Greenfield Savings Bank will waive all withdrawal fees at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital location; other bank fees may apply. Greenfield Savings Bank is a supporter of Cooley Dickinson and has supported initiatives including the Emergency Department campaign, the Golf Fore Health tournament, and the campaign for the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Common Capital Opens Business Resource Center

SPRINGFIELD — Starting or growing a small business in Western Mass. got a little easier with the recent opening of the Common Capital Business Resource Center in downtown Springfield. All the services at the Business Resource Center are free and available for any small business operating in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, or Berkshire counties. They include in-person or online business planning and financial-projection services; in-house business-training curriculum with interactive tools, templates, videos, and guides for entrepreneurs, startups, and existing businesses; and business-assistance services for all borrowers in accounting, financial reporting, marketing, human resources, and operations. Common Capital has been recognized as the number-one microlender in Massachusetts by the U.S. Small Business Administration for three years running. This track record means entrepreneurs using the Business Resource Center are more likely to be set up for success, starting with getting the capital they need to launch or strengthen their business.

Bulkley Richardson Supports Cancer Care with $10,000 Gift

SPRINGFIELD — With a goal of ensuring premium healthcare for individuals in the community, Bulkley Richardson made a $10,000 gift to Baystate Health Foundation for the purchase of three infusion chairs at the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care. These chairs replace aging equipment and provide comfortable and safe medical seating, supporting the experience and outcomes of patients coping with cancer. Quality infusion chairs are important, as oncology infusion patients must remain seated for extended periods of time while receiving medication or fluids through an IV and may require frequent treatments for the length of their illness. These new chairs will also help to mitigate the risks of extended sitting and make treatments more manageable, with an ergonomic design that supports good posture, reduces pressure points, and promotes blood flow while patients receive critical treatments. The Baystate Regional Cancer Program treats more than 2,800 new cancer patients in Western Mass. each year, constituting more than 65% of the cancer diagnoses in the region. Approximately 10,000 patients receive some form of care at the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care annually.

Rachel’s Table Food Drive at Big E Generates Donations

SPRINGFIELD — The Big E facilitated a food drive among its concessionaires this year, which generated more than 3,000 pounds in donations to Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts (RTWM), a Springfield-based food rescue service that distributes donated and specially purchased foods, without charge, to agencies that feed hungry families and individuals in the Western Mass. region. Rachel’s Table also provides training programs on food safety and information on efficient distribution, and has established a network of community support systems that work collaboratively to counter hunger and advocate, when appropriate, for food-insecure people. Now in its second year, this partnership is an extension of the Eastern States Exposition’s (ESE) commitment to improving lives in this region. ESE donates to RTWM outside of fair time, too, providing food from year-round events. Through its connection with ESE, Rachel’s Table was able to secure a relationship with Performance Food Group (PFG) within the last year. PFG is also a Springfield-based business, catering to many food-service and food-delivery needs, including stocking restaurants, national chains, vending, convenience, concessions, and more.