NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) announced the hiring of Claire Kelly as senior manager of Investor and Community Relations. She brings broad skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, educational programming, and event management to the role. She also has a strong appreciation for the local community, having lived in the Pioneer Valley for the past 10 years.
“I am excited to introduce Claire to our local businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and other supporters of the GNCC,” said Vince Jackson, the chamber’s executive director. “Her history as a successful small-business owner gives her a unique perspective that will serve our member-investors well as she partners with them to support a thriving economy and community.”
Before coming to the chamber, Kelly spent seven years as founder and director of Educational Experiences Abroad, a custom academic service provider that specialized in study-abroad programs, primarily in Cuba. An innovative self-starter, she successfully navigated the fast-changing regulatory environment in the U.S.-Cuba travel industry, and delivered educational experiences and programs for a diverse group of clients. Prior to that, she directed business-development activities and designed custom program at Amherst-based Spanish Studies Abroad. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Middlebury College.
About her new role, and her pivot away from the global education industry, Kelly said, “I want to bring my experience to bear on critical local missions. I especially look forward to applying my skills to support local businesses and the community I love.”
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce announced the 2023 honorees for the Eva Trager Memorial. First introduced in 2012, the memorial posthumously recognizes individuals who made a significant impact on the vitality of downtown Northampton during their lifetimes.
In memory of their distinguished commitment and dedication to downtown Northampton, the chamber is honoring the life and legacy of four honorees this year: Marcia Burick, assistant Mayor Dave Musante, 1980-86; Henry DeTurck of Cahill & Hodges; James LaSalle of LaSalle Florists; and Don Miller of Northampton Rental Center.
Hailed as the ‘queen of Main Street,’ Trager distinguished herself as a successful businesswoman and champion for downtown Northampton for nearly 40 years. Named in her honor, the memorial celebrates the lives and achievements of those who demonstrated a personal commitment and relentless dedication to the vibrancy and vitality of downtown Northampton and the community.
“The Eva Trager Memorial represents the visionaries, ambassadors, and movers and shakers who lived a life of passion and service in a way that leaves us all inspired, not just by their success, but also by their significance in serving as a model of excellence for great stewardship of our city,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the chamber. “They set a standard for innovation and creativity, and downtown Northampton continues to thrive because of the inroads and investments that these honorees made in our community.”
The Eva Trager Memorial ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. in front of the Owl memorial statue at 157 Main St. in downtown Northampton. The public is invited to this ceremony in memory of this year’s honorees.
Volunteers serving on the 2023 Eva Trager Memorial committee include Jackson, Jack Brown, Joe Blumenthal, Judith Fine, Mark Goggins, and Maya MacLachlan. Additional information about the memorial is available at evatragermemorial.com.
NORTHAMPTON — For the third consecutive year, Florence-based Keiter Corp. is partnering with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for the Keiter card promotion, which allows consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton Gift Card and receive $50 in actual spending power.
Keiter has donated $25,000 to the project, and an additional $5,000 gift from the chamber’s Community Revitalization Fund has been added to Keiter’s contribution to further stimulate the local economy. Keiter previously donated $10,000 in 2021 and doubled its investment to $20,000 in 2022. The 2023 promotion will inject $60,000 into the local economy.
The 2023 gift card promotion, “Building Our Community Together,” runs while supplies last. The $25 Keiter cards are sold exclusively at the Northampton Chamber, located at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and consumers must mention that they want a Keiter gift card. The promotion applies only to $25 Northampton Gift Card purchases. (A $50 gift card would not be valued at $100, for instance.) There is a limit of one card per customer, per transaction. Click here to learn more.
FLORENCE — Keiter Corp. will donate $25,000 to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a promotion that will allow consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power.
This is the third consecutive year Keiter has funded the initiative, donating $10,000 in 2021 and doubling the investment in 2022. A $5,000 gift from the chamber’s Neighborhood Revitalization Fund will be added to Keiter’s contribution to continue stimulating the local economy beyond the pandemic.
The 2023 gift-card promotion, “Building Our Community Together,” launches on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and runs while supplies last. The $25 Keiter gift cards will be sold exclusively at the chamber office at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Consumers must mention that they want a Keiter gift card, and the promotion applies only to $25 Northampton gift-card purchases. (A $50 gift card would not be valued at $100, for instance.) There is a limit of one card per customer, per transaction.
Last year’s “Strengthen the Community” promotion was a huge success. In three days, the cards sold out, and the program infused $50,000 into the local economy, a welcome boost to area businesses. Inspired by the community’s enthusiasm and participation, Keiter plans to build on the momentum.
“After the campaign’s success over the last two years, we’re thrilled to invest even more in our community this year to keep Northampton thriving,” said Scott Keiter, founder and president of Keiter Corp. “Our community matters to us.”
Based in Florence, Keiter has provided general-contracting and construction-management services in the Pioneer Valley since 2010 for its commercial and residential projects. The Keiter umbrella includes Keiter Builders, the commercial and industrial division of the company; Keiter Homes, offering residential construction; Hatfield Construction, providing site work; and Keiter Properties, the real-estate arm. Scott Keiter is a member of the Greater Northampton Chamber’s board of directors and its finance committee, so he is personally aware of the financial challenges area businesses can experience.
The Northampton Gift Card is currently accepted at more than 100 local businesses, including restaurants, shops, and spas. To learn more about the Keiter card, visit keiter.com or call the chamber at (413) 584-1900.
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2023 Eva Trager Memorial. First introduced in 2012, the memorial recognizes individuals who made a significant impact on the vitality of downtown Northampton during their lifetimes. Eligible nominees for this year’s memorial are people who have passed away since the event was last held in September 2019. Nominations are due no later than Monday, July 24.
Hailed as the ‘queen of Main Street,’ Trager distinguished herself as a successful businesswoman and cherished champion for downtown for nearly 50 years. Named in her honor, the memorial celebrates the lifetime and exemplary achievements of those who demonstrated a personal commitment and dedication to downtown Northampton and the community.
“The Eva Trager Memorial is a posthumous honor and celebrates those who left a legacy of giving and caring that never went unnoticed,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. “Past inductees embodied a spirit of community that was evident in the impact that they had as business owners, community ambassadors, commercial developers, and highly respected influencers. This is a lifetime achievement and incredible tribute to those who lived with great purpose and steady hope for a vibrant downtown.”
Nominations may be submitted online at evatragermemorial.com. The list of honorees selected this year will be announced by Aug. 4. The Eva Trager Memorial Ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 8, in front of the Owl at 157 Main St. in downtown Northampton.
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce welcomed five new board members at its first meeting of 2023 last month. The group brings a diverse set of complementary skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, community building, and leadership.
“I am honored to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of community and business leaders join our board of directors. Several of them have already been involved as volunteers on our various committees and engaged in our programs,” said Vince Jackson, the chamber’s executive director.
The new board members are Erin Cahillane, Jillian Duclos, Ebru Kardan, Nanci Newton, and Amanda Shafii. “Our newest board members have a deep connection to and investment in our business and cultural communities, and I am already energized by their passion for our shared work,” Jackson said.
Cahillane is the Amherst Fund coordinator at Amherst College and president of the Northampton St. Patrick’s Assoc. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Keene State College and a master’s degree in communications and new media marketing from Southern New Hampshire University. Born and raised in Northampton, her local perspective, paired with a decade of work in the nonprofit sector, helps her consider the many smaller communities that come together to make Northampton unique. “I know that it takes all different kinds of businesses and personalities to have a successful and thriving community, and I am honored to be joining the chamber board,” she said.
Duclos is vice president of Operations for Roberto’s in Northampton. After earning a bachelor’s degree in politics at Mount Holyoke College, she explored many different paths, moving away to work in politics, then public relations, then for nonprofits. “In doing so,” she recalled, “I learned that the best place to make a real impact is in my community. Now I run a restaurant and am in the process of starting a nonprofit that aims to support and uplift the female entrepreneurs in Northampton. I look forward to using that experience to explore the best ways we can work together to make Northampton thrive.”
Kardan is senior director of Diversity Communications and Events at UMass Amherst. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and art history from Rutgers University. At UMass, she provides leadership and oversight for internal and external visibility efforts of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and implements campus-wide campaigns that strategically advance the university’s strategic goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I am deeply interested in keeping Northampton a vibrant and diverse community of choice, with thriving businesses of all sorts,” she said.
Newton is a licensed massage therapist and owner of the Healing ZONE Therapeutic Massage in Hadley. She studied at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge and holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Westfield State College. A member of the chamber for more than 20 years, she enjoys “being a part of a community that supports our friends, colleagues, and neighbors.” Newton is active in the local nonprofit community, volunteering for many events for Cancer Connection, Safe Passage, and others, in addition to her work with the chamber.
Shafii is the owner of CopyCat in Northampton. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology/neuroscience from UMass Amherst, where she also minored in sociology. “As a resident and small-business owner in the area, the connections that I make with people in our community bring a sense of purpose and happiness to my life. Shopping local and supporting local business not only directly affects my business, but, most importantly, keeps our area unique, diverse, and a beautiful place to live. I look forward to the opportunity as a new board member to support our community and create positive impacts in the Greater Northampton area.”
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has installed a new, state-of-the-art gift-card kiosk on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton. The kiosk allows shoppers to buy a Northampton Gift Card or check the balance on an existing card any time Thornes is open to the public.
The Northampton Gift Card program, which has been celebrating its 15th anniversary all year long, enables card holders to redeem their cards at more than 70 participating restaurants, retailers, salons, and other services throughout the Great Northampton area. Since its inception, the program has infused almost $5 million into the local economy.
The new self-service kiosk at Thornes is the latest investment and replaced the previous machine, which was at least 12 years old. Another big investment in the program earlier this year was Keiter Corporation’s $10,000 donation and the ‘Keiter Card’ promotion that allowed shoppers to buy a $50 gift card for just $25. Also, nearly two dozen new merchants have joined the program as part of this year’s anniversary celebration.
“The Northampton Gift Card program has always been the perfect way to keep our local dollars local, and we’re happy to make the purchasing process even smoother with our new kiosk,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the chamber.
In addition to using the new kiosk, shoppers can purchase the Northampton Gift Card online at northamptongiftcard.com, by phone at (413) 584-1900, or in person at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday). Current sponsors of the Northampton Gift Card program are PeoplesBank and Coca-Cola.
We are excited to announce that BusinessWest, in partnership with Living Local, has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.
Episode 56: March 15, 2021
George O’Brien talks with Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. The two have a lively discussion about the deep toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on Paradise City, and how that community’s strong, eclectic business community has responded with determination, imagination, and perseverance. The two also discuss how the pandemic has challenged all chambers, including his, while also changing their roles to some extent and making them even more vital to area small businesses. It’s must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local.
Taking over leadership of a chamber of commerce is always fraught with challenges, especially in a community as rich in diverse businesses and nonprofits as Northampton, and also stepping into the large shoes of the previous executive director, who served for 27 years. But Vince Jackson, with his deep background in entrepreneurship, business development, and marketing, is proving to be an ideal fit, and has already begun to shift and deepen perceptions about what a chamber can be.
Vince Jackson has been preparing for his new role for more than 30 years.
“What attracted me to this job is, well, it’s a bit of a sweet spot,” said Jackson, who took the reins as executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce last June.
He was referring to an intriguing mix of careers leading up to that point, including a decade and a half in corporate America; he worked for 10 years as a senior product manager at PepsiCo, two years as an assistant product manager at Kraft Foods, and three years as a senior systems analyst at Procter & Gamble.
“When it comes to engaging and interacting with our corporate community here,” he told BusinessWest, “I understand large organizations like Cooley Dickinson Health Care, I understand Coca-Cola’s Northampton’s operation and the challenges they face, I understand L3Harris.”
Equally important — or perhaps moreso, considering the makeup of the region’s economy — was his two-decade experience with Marketing Moves, the company he founded in 2000, which provided client companies with strategic marketing support.
“For the last 19 years before I took this job, I was a marketing consultant,” he explained. “I targeted Fortune 50 corporations, but I also partnered and did subcontracting work with a lot of small businesses. And I was running a small business myself, so when it comes to understanding the joys and pain points and opportunities of the small-business owner, I can relate — regardless of the industry — and also bring some of my marketing experience that may benefit them in unique ways.”
In the meantime, he was also amassing a great deal of nonprofit board leadership experience, and Northampton and its environs have a rich base of such organizations, he added. In fact, among some 525 chamber members, close to 50 are nonprofits. “So understanding the nonprofit arena is important.”
“When it comes to engaging and interacting with our corporate community here. I understand large organizations like Cooley Dickinson Health Care, I understand Coca-Cola’s Northampton’s operation and the challenges they face, I understand L3Harris.”
In short, Jackson’s background made him an easy choice to replace Suzanne Beck, who had led the chamber for 27 years before her retirement last year.
He took the reins at an interesting time, as the chamber was beginning to activate a new strategic plan. Through that process, preparing a marketing plan of his own, and communicating with members, he quickly learned an important lesson: “The things that got us here won’t get us there. So we’ve got to do things differently.
“Our vision for this community is that we really want to make it a place for everybody,” he went on. “Northampton is a very welcoming community, and we want to make sure this is also a prosperous community and that all the things that make it special really cascade through Northampton and across the community.”
Part of that vision is recognizing and promoting the city’s calling cards, such as its array of eclectic, mostly locally owned businesses. “Most of the retail shops offer things you might not find at the mall, or on Amazon. That’s the kind of thing that makes this place special and unique.”
It’s also a welcoming and inclusive community, he added, and one with a heart for advocacy, as evidenced by the number of nonprofits in the area. “They provide a lot of services that are so needed in a community like this, and you see the impact of that kind of support when you are out in the neighborhoods.”
With those strengths in mind, the chamber’s new strategic vision emphasizes two key points: that the health of the economy and the health of the community are one, and the chamber must include and reflect that community.
“The mission of the chamber, in layman’s terms, is to be a matchmaker,” Jackson told BusinessWest. “We want to be that catalyst for bringing people together, bringing organizations together, doing innovations, collaborations, and anything that moves our economy and community forward. You’ll hear us say, over and over again, that when the economy thrives, our community thrives, and when our community thrives, the economy thrives. That’s our core belief, and that’s really what the mission of the chamber is all about — driving the economic impact and the community influence to make that happen.”
On Message
The plan seeks to boost Northampton’s economic profile — both internally, growing the business base, and externally, drawing more tourism — by targeting five specific audiences.
The first is arts and culture, an area Northampton and its surrounding towns has been long known for, with its raft of museums, music venues, historic-heritage sites, and host of resident writers, artists, and craftspeople. The second is outdoor recreation, which encompasses everything from bike paths, fishing, and boating during the warm seasons to skiing and other winter sports.
Both those realms draw heavily from New York, Boston, and other urban centers, which are home to both people with an interest in the arts and weekenders looking to get away and be outdoors. And on the outdoor front especially, economic-development leaders from Hampshire and Franklin counties have often joined forces to promote a wider swath of the Pioneer Valley.
This stretch of Main Street in Northampton is typical of the city: the odd chain amid a series of unique, eclectic, locally owned businesses.
The third audience is people with connections to the Five Colleges, which collectively serve some 50,000 students each year, roughly 10% of those international, which feeds into the chamber’s fourth targeted audience, the international market. The fifth audience is the LGBTQ community, which has long identified Greater Northampton as a welcoming place.
“We at the chamber want to be the local experts on the economy, and one of the ways we do that is through our tourism efforts,” Jackson went on, noting that the chamber gets an annual grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism for marketing and promotional activities and programs that drive tourism to the area.
“And we see enormous impacts on our economy when we do that, when we give people reasons to come to Hampshire County and Northampton,” he went on, adding that Northampton itself sees about 50% of the regional tax dollars from tourism.
“The other way we drive the economy to offer opportunities for entrepreneurs to get established and find ways to make this a business-friendly place by working with all of our business owners and the city to make this a good place to start a business and be successful,” he explained.
One example can be found in the burgeoning cannabis industry, as NETA, the first retail dispensary in Massachusetts to sell for adult use, has been a notable success story since opening 15 months ago, and the city has about a dozen licenses pending for businesses in all areas of the cannabis trade, from cultivation to production to sales.
“When the economy thrives, our community thrives, and when our community thrives, the economy thrives. That’s our core belief, and that’s really what the mission of the chamber is all about — driving the economic impact and the community influence to make that happen.”
To better connect and assist businesses and entrepreneurs of all kinds, the chamber recently presented more than a dozen free business workshops, or “knowledge sessions,” Jackson called them, in which business leaders volunteered their time to share information and ideas. These included a look at digital marketing, a session dealing with different generations in the workplace, and another that brought beauty, health, and wellness businesses together.
Crafting a new strategic plan is daunting when a chamber has had one director for more than a quarter-century, especially when a new director is coming in, he said, which is why the chamber treated 2019 as a transition year. But there were some notable success stories.
“For example, I found it a joy to partner with [state Sen.] Jo Comerford, who was working hard for earmarks for the nonprofit community in Western Massachusetts,” he said, noting that, right before Christmas, she was able to secure $150,000 for a handful of nonprofits, three of which are chamber members. “The chamber will be the fiscal agent when those funds come through. This was the kind of matchmaking we’re proud to do.”
The Right Fit
Ruth Griggs, a member of the chamber’s board of directors who was on the search committee that brought Jackson on board, told the Daily Hampshire Gazette last spring that he was a deeply experienced entrepreneur with a balance of skills and characteristics chamber members appreciate.
Jackson, in turn, said one of his goals was to move past being just a membership organization to more of a “partnership organization” — getting people to move from being just dues-paying members to becoming more engaged with the chamber and the community.
Today, he says that has, indeed, been a priority, citing the recent opening — a couple storefronts away from the chamber offices on Pleasant Street — of Wurst Haus, the most recent new eatery from the restaurant group led by Peter Picknelly and Andy Yee, and the chamber’s outreach to them.
“When new businesses come into the community, we want to make the sure the chamber is partnering with them, and that they’re also excited about partnering with the chamber,” Jackson said. “It’s a two-way exchange that will benefit all of Northampton. We make sure we invite them and introduce them to all the work the chamber does.”
Part of that is encouraging members to participate in committees that shape much of the chamber’s direction, including a finance committee, an ambassador committee that welcomes new businesses, and an economic-development committee of about three dozen members that meets monthly to talk about projects big and small.
Members of that latter committee include “seasoned business owners and young ones, nonprofits, local politicians, bank presidents — it’s a good, diverse mix of folks who add a point of view that’s unique, and when we come together, we’re all better collectively,” he said.
In a thriving, 21st-century chamber, he told BusinessWest, members aren’t just dues-paying entities, but true investors — of time and talent, not just money — in the chamber and in the community.
“The chamber is run by volunteers,” he said, noting that his team includes four full-time staff and three part-timers (the latter mainly managing the visitor center), so members who want to be deeply involved are critical. “There are a lot of connections to be made, and our role is really to be that catalyst and bring people together to make it all happen.”
If members are willing to work toward that goal, Jackson said, then the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce — and chambers in general — still have a key role to play in their communities.
“People expect the chamber to be the centerpoint, and historically we have been. But it wasn’t as open an organization as it is now,” he said, noting, again, that the endgame is a thriving economy and a thriving community. “They’re inextricably linked; they go hand in hand.”
NORTHAMPTON — As the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce looks forward to its 100th-anniversary celebration in June, the board of directors announced the selection of the chamber’s new executive director, Vincent (Vince) Jackson. He is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Marketing Moves in Hadley, a company he founded. He will begin his role at the chamber on Monday, June 3, succeeding Suzanne Beck, who is retiring at the end of May.
“Vince’s experience, qualifications, and expertise were an exact fit with the characteristics that the board wanted to see in the new executive director. It was clear that Vince is the right person to lead the chamber,” said David DeSwert, chamber board president and chair of the search committee, and associate vice president for Finance at Smith College.
In passing the torch to Jackson, Beck hands him the opportunity to lead the chamber and through its new strategic plan. The visionary plan, to be launched over the coming months, explores and boldly reimagines what a 21st-century chamber should be.
“I’m excited to welcome a new community leader to drive our new vision for the chamber that strengthens our cause to build a thriving economy and a thriving community,” Beck said.
Prior to founding Marketing Moves in 2000, Jackson worked in Texas for PepsiCo Inc., growing through roles in brand and product management, innovation, and acquisitions. Marketing Moves is a consultancy that specializes in strategy development, brand management, and marketing and communications, working with a diverse national client base of large corporations, small businesses, and government and nonprofit organizations.
Jackson has lectured in the Department of Marketing at the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management. He has served on several nonprofit boards, including time as president of the Lee B. Revels Scholarship and Mentoring Foundation and the Beta Sigma Boulé Foundation in Springfield. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University and an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s an honor for me to join the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce at this pivotal time in its history,” Jackson said. “With deep respect for the chamber’s legacy and leadership, I look forward to working with the board, partner organizations, community leaders, and volunteers to chart the new path forward.”
Jackson’s first public appearance will be at the chamber’s centennial event on Thursday, June 13 at the Academy of Music in Northampton. “Torch: Our Time to Shine” will recognize Beck and Jackson, along with other business and organization leaders who have passed the torch to new generations of leadership, along with those who have confidently accepted it.
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce will host its centennial event, “Torch: Our Time to Shine,” on Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m., at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton.
The evening’s program will honor Suzanne Beck, who has led the chamber for 27 years, and is retiring from the organization this spring. Beck will be recognized along with those she has worked closely with during her tenure at the chamber. “There have been so many people recently stepping up to carry on the leadership that these trailblazers began,” she said. “I started to look around and notice that Northampton is in a real moment of change. I’m really looking forward to celebrating this moment with the community.”
The 100th-anniversary festivities begin on the red carpet in front of the historic Academy theater, with an opening reception beginning at 6 p.m. Northampton Community Television will interview guests on the red carpet, capturing their hopes and dreams for Northampton. Dpict facilitated illustration will be creating a live drawing in the theater lobby, sourced from attendees’ comments. The finished drawing will be revealed later in the evening.
At 7 p.m., Linda Hannum and Rus Peotter will host an interactive program featuring music, surprises, and special guests, including musicians from Downtown Sounds Workers Co-op, who will play as the show’s house band. The program’s focus will be a recognition of change and celebration of the shared call to shine together as a community. Musical groups Green Street Brew and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts’ Spectrum a cappella will also perform.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the planning for Torch, an event that will bring together the best of your favorite chamber events, with some fun twists worthy of our 100th birthday,” said event committee chairperson Matthew Bannister, vice president of Marketing & Innovation at PeoplesBank.
The celebration will continue under the stars with a party at the rear of the theatre, including food, drink, and dancing.
Lead sponsors of the event include Cooley Dickinson Health Care, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Florence Bank, and PeoplesBank, with major support from Aladco Linen Services, BusinessWest, Keiter Builders, and Leadership Pioneer Valley.
Visit northamptonchamber.com for tickets and more information.
NORTHAMPTON — After 27 years of service to the Pioneer Valley, Suzanne Beck announced that she will retire as the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. She cited the completion of the chamber’s strategic plan as the ideal time to pass the baton.
“I could not be more excited about the chamber’s future,” Beck said. “The strategic plan is a forward-thinking response to the area’s growth and change. With a new generation of business and community leaders, I strongly believe that the best way to move the chamber forward is to have a leader representative of that change. While it is hard to step aside, I make this decision certain it is right for the chamber.”
The strategic plan, to be launched over the coming months, is a commitment to serve the health and vibrancy of the community at large as an extension of the growth and strengthening of the business and nonprofit communities under Beck’s leadership.
“I feel very fortunate to have worked with Suzanne over the last six years and to have witnessed a small part of all she has done for our community,” said David DeSwert, board president. “As with everything she’s done in her time as executive director, Suzanne placed the interests of the chamber and the Greater Northampton community above all else when making her decision to retire. She leaves the chamber in an extremely strong position after leading a thoughtful and forward-looking strategic planning process. The strategic plan creates an exciting road map for the new executive director.”
Two years ago, the chamber embarked on a process to reimagine and redefine its role as a community partner. With the nonprofit’s centennial approaching in June, the chamber will be meeting in small groups with stakeholders to present the plan and get feedback.
Highlights of Beck’s accomplishments include:
• Working with Hampshire County business, nonprofit, and community leaders to create the first economic-development strategy serving all of Hampshire County;
• Supporting a group of young professionals to form Northampton Area Young Professionals (NAYP), now in its 10th year supporting the career and community interests of emerging leaders;
• Partnering with the United Way of Hampshire County to create Leadership Hampshire County (a precursor of Leadership Pioneer Valley) to connect, train, and support business and nonprofit leaders with a shared interest in community leadership; and
• Partnering with the Three County Fair Assoc. and the city on the redevelopment of the fairgrounds and construction of new barns.
In addition, the chamber has been committed to the success of downtown Northampton, recognizing its importance as the community’s commercial and civic center. A few examples of this commitment include hosting and supporting the Downtown Northampton Assoc. as a division of the chamber, events like Taste of Northampton and sidewalk sales, and shared promotions that raise money for local nonprofits.
This month, the chamber board will establish a committee to conduct a search for Beck’s replacement and create a transition plan. Beck and the committee will set a mutually agreeable departure date.
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has launched a program that rewards people with merit points for shopping at local businesses. Individuals who sign up for Valley Placemaker online or in person during April are eligible to win one of four $50 Northampton gift cards.
One unique aspect of the Valley Placemaker program allows shoppers to redeem their merits for prizes at any of the roughly 25 participating Valley Placemaker businesses — not necessarily at those in which they shopped.
“It doesn’t take long to earn enough merits to redeem them for really cool stuff,” explained Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
Beck said the program is aimed at giving people another reason to shop in their own communities and combating the urge to buy online. “We have a lot of residents in this region who are passionate about our local, independent businesses. We are excited to bring them the opportunity to get rewarded for the loyalty they show as local consumers.”
To create a Valley Placemaker rewards account, shoppers can go to www.valleyplacemaker.com and follow the simple steps that are outlined. Alternatively, people can sign up in person at Thornes Marketplace on April 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the front entrance. Volunteers will assist in the sign-up process and provide information about the program. Each week in April, new Valley Placemaker participants will be entered to win a $50 Northampton gift card.
Shoppers will earn 20 merits on their first visit to a participating store.
NORTHAMPTON — The Salvation Army of Northampton announced it has successfully found sponsorships for more than 100 local Hampshire County children in need as part of its Angel Tree Program, a long-running tradition that puts presents under the Christmas trees of needy children. These sponsorships have predominantly come from the Northampton Chamber of Commerce community, which stepped up to help the Salvation Army reach its goal of serving more than 150 children.
The Salvation Army runs the Angel Tree program in Northampton with the assistance of local nonprofit Community Action, which also provides critical resources to children and families in Franklin and Hampshire counties and the North Quabbin region. The Angel Tree program sponsors more than 1 million children nationally, linking each family to an anonymous donor that puts clothes and toys under otherwise empty Christmas trees.
“We’re so thankful to Greenfield Savings Bank and the Northampton Chamber of Commerce for their intervention,” said Community Action Executive Director Clare Higgins. “Well-wishers can thank them in person by contributing to our official Angel Tree, hosted this year in Greenfield Savings Bank’s King Street branch.”
The program has sponsored 124 local families in need so far and seeks 26 more sponsorships. Individuals and businesses interested in helping the Salvation Army meet its goal of more than 150 sponsored children should contact Emily Mew, the Salvation Army’s Western Mass. field representative, at [email protected], or visit the official Angel Tree at Greenfield Savings Bank on King Street.
“We are so grateful to the chamber and Greenfield Savings Bank, both of which stepped in at a time of sudden need to rescue Christmas for more than 100 Northampton-area families,” Mew said. “Their generosity has ensured the survival of this important program as we seek to reach our goal of 150-plus sponsored children this year.”
NORTHAMPTON — Two of Northampton’s local businesses are uniting to co-host the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce’s Arrive @ 5 event on Wednesday, April 5. Degrees of Comfort — Northampton Plumbing Supply’s kitchen and bath showroom — will join Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice for this community-networking event from 5 to 7 p.m. at 168 Industrial Dr.
“We are excited to come together with Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice to host the Arrive @ 5 in April, and we look forward to welcoming our fellow community businesses into the showroom,” said Fred Teece, the owner of Premier Supply Group and Degrees of Comfort. “Degrees of Comfort has been serving Hampshire County homeowners, builders, and plumbers for over a decade and would like to show our appreciation by inviting our peers to see the updates, specifically our new ‘Take Home Today’ space and completely refurbished showroom.”
Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice provides home-health and end-of-life care in the Pioneer Valley. “We are thrilled to partner with Degrees of Comfort on this special chamber event,” said Priscilla Ross, executive director. “We have taken care of our community in their homes for over 100 years. This event gives us the rare opportunity to welcome you to our home.”
NORTHAMPTON — National Grid announced it will donate $800,000 to eight chambers of commerce in Massachusetts to support local small businesses. The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has been named one of the recipients of a $100,000 award.
Each chamber will receive $100,000, which they will then distribute in grants of $1,000 to National Grid small-business customers with fewer than 150 employees. The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce looks forward to distributing these grant awards to give local small business community a boost during the coming months. Qualifying businesses can apply for a $1,000 grant by clicking here.
This pledge follows a similar donation by National Grid in January, when the company distributed $1 million to four small-business organizations to help with energy bills. The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, the Retailers Assoc. of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Restaurant Assoc., and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce each received $250,000 to distribute to their small business members.
“After seeing the positive benefit our previous grant-funding effort had on the small-business community of Massachusetts, we decided to expand that reach by partnering with additional chambers of commerce,” said Stephen Woerner, president of National Grid New England. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, providing jobs and supporting the vibrancy of communities across Massachusetts. We’re pleased to be able to support those businesses that continue to need help as everyone continues to adjust to higher costs for basic goods and services.”
Chambers receiving the funds include the Cape Cod Chamber, Merrimack Valley Chamber, North Central Chamber of Leominster, Greater Northampton Chamber, North Shore Chamber, OneSouthCoast Chamber, South Shore Chamber, and Waltham Chamber.
“We are grateful for National Grid’s generosity and support of small businesses,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. “We are equally appreciative to be among the chambers selected to award these grants that will deliver much-needed relief in Northampton and the surrounding area.”
This second round of funding comes as part of National Grid’s ongoing commitment to uplifting the well-being of small-business owners and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts. Previously part of its Customer Savings Initiative, National Grid has expanded upon its ‘season of giving’ with renewed customer-assistance efforts. Since October 2022, the utility has donated $3.8 million.
EASTHAMPTON— The Chamber of Greater Easthampton announced its upcoming women’s leadership conference, sheLEADS, to be held on Friday, June 16 at Williston Northampton School, 19 Payson Ave., Easthampton.
This year’s conference will feature a lineup of inspiring speakers who will share their personal stories and insights on leadership, career development, and understanding the power of knowing one’s worth.
This year’s conference features two keynote speakers: Sabrina Antoine Correia, vice president of Public Engagement and Corporate Responsibility for New England, JPMorgan Chase; and Lindsay Barron LaBonte, branch manager, Applied Mortgage. Correia will discuss “Advocating for Yourself and Your Ideas,” and LaBonte will discuss “How I Found My Worth.”
Other topics to be discussed during the conference include “Is Money Power,” a thought-provoking discussion featuring panelists Karen Curran of Curran & Keegan Financial, Diane Dukette of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Ashleigh Beadle of Sourcepass, and Joanna Ballantine of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Attendees will also participate in the interactive workshop “The RACI Side of Communication and Collaboration,” led by Tiffany Espinosa from Teal Executives, Mount Holyoke College.
The sheLEADS conference is designed to empower women in all stages of their careers by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to achieve their professional goals. This day-long experience offers opportunities to build networks and relationships and share insights with like-minded professionals from around the region.
“The Chamber of Greater Easthampton is proud to host the sheLEADS conference, which serves as a platform for women to connect, learn, and grow,” said Moe Belliveau, executive director of the chamber. “We believe that, by empowering women to lead and succeed, we can create a stronger, more prosperous community.”
Registration for sheLEADS 2023 is now open, and early-bird tickets of $99 are available through May 18. Starting May 19, tickets are $119. Click here for more information and to register.
March 29: Go Fund U Session #3: “The Bandwagon Effect and VIPs,” 5-7 p.m., hybrid event, hosted online or at Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. Create a bandwagon that other folks want to jump onto. Understand how to identify and communicate with your VIPs before launch to increase your chances of reaching your funding goal. In this session, we’ll also discuss setting your funding target, determining reward levels, and strategies for during and after your campaign. This is your opportunity to learn the secret recipe for crowdfunding success. Register at www.1berkshire.com.
AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 253-0700; www.amherstarea.com
March 30: Margarita Madness, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Interskate 91 at the Hampshire Mall, 367 Russell St., Hadley. TommyCar Auto Group returns as presenting sponsor. Mix, mingle, and network at our largest signature event of the year. Enjoy an evening of tasty margaritas and vote for your favorite. Local restaurants showcase their fare, and there are dozens of raffles prizes donated by Amherst Area Chamber members. Cost: $35 pre-registered at www.amherstarea.com, $45 at the door.
EAST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 575-7230; www.erc5.com
April 4: Coffee Hour Connections with ERC5, 8:30-9:30 a.m., hosted by Hillary Lynn Photography, 200 Center St., Suite 5, Ludlow. Join us as we gather to build relationships and Hillary shares more about the work she is doing with brand imagery that tells a story and connects with your dream clients. Register online at www.erc5.com.
GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 534-3376; www.holyokechamber.com
March 29: After Hours and Ribbon Cutting at Fame, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Fame, 386 Dwight St., Holyoke. Join as we celebrate the grand opening of Fame with small, homemade bites; craft beer and cocktails; and connections. To register, visit www.business.holyokechamber.com/events.
GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 584-1900; www.northamptonchamber.com
April 4: Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Danco Modern, 10 West St., Hatfield. Our monthly networking get-together is the perfect place to expand your circle of connections in the business community. New to (or nervous about) networking? Join us at 4 p.m. for a Warm Welcome pre-party and get tips from our experts. Sponsored by Reider Media, Delap Real Estate, and Applied Mortgage. First Impressions sponsored by Finck & Perras. This is a free event. Register online at www.explorenorthampton.com.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org
April 5: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Armbrook Village, 551 North Road, Westfield. Mayor Michael McCabe will update the attendees on City Hall activities, and there will be an opportunity to ask the mayor questions. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 426-3880; www.ourwrc.com
April 4: April Lunch & Learn with ERC5, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Villa Rose, 1428 Center St., Ludlow. Learn from our panelists how to maintain and grow in 2023 and beyond. Hear valuable tips for making every penny count in your business and how to effectively use your dollars to your advantage. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
March 22: Go Fund U Session #2: “Communicating Your Story,” 5-7 p.m., hybrid event, hosted online or at Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. It isn’t just about the money; it’s about building a community, establishing a following, projecting an identity, creating a buzz, and sparking a movement. Learn how to communicate your story effectively to the general public. Start building a community of folks who will come together to bring your project to life and who will be there with you for future endeavors as well. Register at www.1berkshire.com.
March 29: Go Fund U Session #3: “The Bandwagon Effect and VIPs,” 5-7 p.m., hybrid event, hosted online or at Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. Create a bandwagon that other folks want to jump onto. Understand how to identify and communicate with your VIPs before launch to increase your chances of reaching your funding goal. In this session, we’ll also discuss setting your funding target, determining reward levels, and strategies for during and after your campaign. This is your opportunity to learn the secret recipe for crowdfunding success. Register at www.1berkshire.com.
March 30: Margarita Madness, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Interskate 91 at the Hampshire Mall, 367 Russell St., Hadley. TommyCar Auto Group returns as presenting sponsor. Mix, mingle, and network at our largest signature event of the year. Enjoy an evening of tasty margaritas and vote for your favorite. Local restaurants showcase their fare, and there are dozens of raffles prizes donated by Amherst Area Chamber members. Cost: $35 pre-registered at www.amherstarea.com, $45 at the door.
April 4: Coffee Hour Connections with ERC5, 8:30-9:30 a.m., hosted by Hillary Lynn Photography, 200 Center St., Suite 5, Ludlow. Join us as we gather to build relationships and Hillary shares more about the work she is doing with brand imagery that tells a story and connects with your dream clients. Register online at www.erc5.com.
March 24: Chamber Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Terrazza restaurant, 244 Country Club Road, Greenfield. Join us for breakfast at Terrazza as we hear from Ronald Bryant, president of Baystate Regional Hospitals, and learn how Baystate Franklin Medical Center, the sponsor of this event, is transforming the health of our community from the inside out. Cost: $20 for members, $22 for general admission. Visit www.franklincc.org to register.
March 23: Annual Meeting, 8-9:30 a.m., hosted by RiverMills Senior Center, 5 West Main St., Chicopee. This kickoff to our Salute Breakfast Series is presented by Florence Bank, which is celebrating 150 years. Meet our incoming board of directors and hear from Mayor John Vieau and chamber representatives about what’s new for the city and chamber this year. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. To register, visit www.chicopeechamber.org.
March 29: After Hours and Ribbon Cutting at Fame, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Fame, 386 Dwight St., Holyoke. Join as we celebrate the grand opening of Fame with small, homemade bites; craft beer and cocktails; and connections. To register, visit www.business.holyokechamber.com/events.
April 4: Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Danco Modern, 10 West St., Hatfield. Our monthly networking get-together is the perfect place to expand your circle of connections in the business community. New to (or nervous about) networking? Join us at 4 p.m. for a Warm Welcome pre-party and get tips from our experts. Sponsored by Reider Media, Delap Real Estate, and Applied Mortgage. First Impressions sponsored by Finck & Perras. This is a free event. Register online at www.explorenorthampton.com.
March 23: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Join us for a great networking opportunity. Introduce yourself and your business to the attendees. Everyone has a chance to discuss what their business does and what they are looking for to expand and improve.
April 5: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Armbrook Village, 551 North Road, Westfield. Mayor Michael McCabe will update the attendees on City Hall activities, and there will be an opportunity to ask the mayor questions. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
April 4: April Lunch & Learn with ERC5, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Villa Rose, 1428 Center St., Ludlow. Learn from our panelists how to maintain and grow in 2023 and beyond. Hear valuable tips for making every penny count in your business and how to effectively use your dollars to your advantage. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
Julie Thompson and Tim Johnson say the Smith Botanical Garden is a way for the college to connect with the community.
Northampton has always been the place to be when it comes to good eats, arts, and entertainment. The city boasts more than 100 shops, about 20 restaurants, and multiple music venues for locals and visitors to enjoy year-round.
And it is because its economy is based largely on tourism and hospitality that Northampton suffered as few area communities did during the pandemic, and also why it is still, in many ways, finding its way all the way back from that greatly disruptive time.
The good news, according to those we spoke with, and especially Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, is that the city is moving in the right direction, in part by providing things for people to do and reasons to venture out.
“We’re just trying to encourage people every way we can, and every time that we’ve created opportunities for people to come out and be together, like we brought back the Taste of Northampton … people really, really enjoy them,” she said. “And it’s just getting people to take that step, too, to come out.”
Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, agreed, noting that, historically, Northampton has attracted large numbers of visitors, and for a variety of reasons.
Jackson said the chamber has heard from several business owners that they have reached or exceeded their 2019, pre-pandemic, sales levels, and business activity continues to improve. Some people travel 75 miles or more just for the music entertainment the city has to offer; even with the Iron Horse Music Group venues largely shuttered in recent years, multiple smaller venues have filled the gap.
The city is a place for both adults and kids to have a good time; whether they love the art scene or an independent bookstore, there is something for everyone when they make the trip.
“With all the more serious, sad realities of today, it’s so important that we counter that with opportunities for joy and opportunities for celebration and opportunities for those lighter, happier emotions in life.”
One bookstore that survived and is thriving as it enters the post-pandemic years is High Five Books. It started in 2019 and worked through the pandemic with curbside pickup and individual shopping trips for families.
“I just really wanted a space for families like mine to go and hang out and connect around books and create a community around the reading experience and the book-loving experience; I wanted to have a place for families to connect around reading and stories,” owner Lexi Walters-Wright said. “I also recognized how many authors and illustrators we have living right here in the Valley, and I wanted to be able to showcase their incredible work and also have young people see how work is created and get excited about that for themselves.”
The Bloomery Art Gallery is another thriving local business. It was created by Luc Abbott, who realized how critical it is for people to come together and celebrate one another in a safe space.
“It’s about celebration,” they said. “With all the more serious, sad realities of today, it’s so important that we counter that with opportunities for joy and opportunities for celebration and opportunities for those lighter, happier emotions in life and really create a space that’s dedicated to those moments that feels really pivotal right now.”
Coming together — and the desire to see more of that — is the main goal of Northampton’s business owners and city leaders alike, who see continued progress in the weeks and months ahead as Northampton battles its way back from COVID.
For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Northampton and some of the businesses that contribute to its eclectic character.
Buy the Book
High Five Books is located right along a bike path and is accessible for kids to walk or bike from school. Parents bring in their younger children after dropping their older ones off at school, or just pass time there during the day, Walters-Wright said.
The space on North Main Street in Florence is shared with Art Always, owned and operated by Lindsey Fogg-Willits, who provides art classes and activities for families in the area that are usually filled after school hours with little creators.
Lexi Walters-Wright says High Five Books is a space for families to connect around reading and stories.
The bookstore portion is filled with shelves of books for all ages. It succeeds because it provides reasons for people to visit — and stay.
“It was always clear from the very beginning that there had to be something very experiential to make it worthwhile for a family to leave the house and not just push ‘add to cart’ on Amazon, but actually put on clothing and drag your family to a space,” she told BusinessWest. “You have to have a reason to do that.”
To keep local kids and families interested, the store and art shop had to be creative, from design/build at-home art kits to events around the area.
At the end of January, High Five Books and Art collaborated with a hair salon and dance studio to host a Sparkle Party, giving families an option to celebrate the creative expression and “awesomeness” of families, Walters-Wright said.
Coming up, High Five Books is also sponsoring the release of Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s new graphic memoir at the Academy of Music in April. As a lover of graphic novels, Walters-Wright is excited to host the book event and even said it was a dream to be at the Academy of Music for it. Krosoczka will bring his new book to life with an unabridged performance for families to enjoy.
Many of the books sold at High Five Books center on social-justice and LGBTQIA+ themes “that just honor the incredible spirit of these young people,” she added. “We’re a community bookstore, and to us, what that means is we are listening directly to the families who come in through our doors and hear what it is they’re looking for so that their kid and their family can feel seen and valued.
“We think that books can be windows and mirrors and sliding glass doors for kids to experience the world that they see and the world that they want to see,” she continued. “And that is something that we don’t take for granted. Being able to provide young readers with books that help them feel seen is a way of encouraging them to be their very best selves in this world and to shape the world in the way that I think we all want to see it, which is wholeheartedly.”
“We think that books can be windows and mirrors and sliding glass doors for kids to experience the world that they see and the world that they want to see.”
Abbott, meanwhile, is looking to accomplish much the same things through the arts.
Besides owning and curating the Bloomery Art Gallery and meeting space, they also run a communications-consulting and marketing-support business called Bloom Local, which helps small businesses and organizations that are mission-driven. It exists as a digital and in-person platform in order to breed connections.
The gallery is open to the public during the Arts Night Out event that Northampton holds the second Friday of each month. Local art lovers are encouraged to walk around the city and see the different art galleries that Northampton has to offer. Abbott said it was a “great discovery channel” for the gallery since it is so new and small. People who don’t know about the Bloomery have the chance to see local art from local artists in the LGBTQIA+ community.
They recalled one show in October that drove the point home. “I was standing in a group of folks in this room, and we all looked around, and somebody said, ‘I’ve never seen so many trans and non-binary people in one room together.’ And my heart just exploded with happiness because that was what I had been craving for a long time,” he explained.
“I just didn’t feel like I had kind of hit that point or found that right community space that felt comfy for me,” they added. “What’s also really beautiful is having folks who aren’t necessarily part of the queer community come in and see the smiles on their faces because they are experiencing something that’s new to them, something that reminds them, maybe, of someone they love.”
Northampton at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1883 Population: 29,571 Area: 35.8 square miles County: Hampshire Residential tax rate: $15.84 Commercial tax rate: $15.84 Median Household Income: $56,999 Median Family Income: $80,179 Type of government: Mayor, City Council Largest Employers: Cooley Dickinson Hospital; ServiceNet Inc.; Smith College; L-3 KEO * Latest information available
Abbott told BusinessWest that the community was craving more connections after the pandemic, and Arts Night Out allows people to congregate and do the things they loved again.
“We’re coming into a new place here and kind of coming into a new time where we want different things for ourselves as artists,” they said. “We want to thrive more as small-business owners; we want our communities and the thriving of our businesses to ripple out into our communities.”
Green Growth
Smith Botanical Garden is like the Bloomery — it allows students the feedback and community needed to expand on their artwork.
“It’s a really magical thing to see the interactions with students and the general public,” said Tim Johnson, director of the garden, noting that the institution has been around for 130 years, and its purpose has changed dramatically over time from its initial use as a potting room for the college.
“In a lot of ways, I see the botanical garden and the programming we get to do as a love letter to the community,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to provide a lens into an institution that — unless you’re a student at the college or you’re a staff member — it’s really hard to see.
“We’re one of the places on the campus that is quite oriented toward the public,” he went on, “and we can provide a corridor where our students, our faculty, our scholars, and our researchers get to interact with the public and see how their work is received, what makes sense and what doesn’t.”
The Botanical Garden features rotating exhibits throughout the year that guests can enjoy. The garden is ever-changing because of the cycles of the plants stored in the greenhouses. Currently, it is showcasing “Into the Glass House,” and students have work on display in the Lyman Plant House that was inspired by some of the plants at the gardens.
One anticipated event coming back is the Spring Bulb Show, slated for March 4-19. “It’s like a piece of spring when we’re still in the middle of winter,” said Julie Thompson, Communications coordinator for Smith Botanical Gardens. More than 8,000 bulbs are set to bloom this year. Another highly anticipated event, a 100-year-old Smith tradition, is the Fall Mum Show set for November.
Johnson told BusinessWest that the Botanical Gardens allows humans to reconnect with nature. “It’s pretty easy to forget that — we have cell phones; we have airplanes and space travel,” he said. “But everything that we do is utterly dependent on plants, and our relationship and realization of that really has a lot to do with how we approach our world, our natural resources, and each other.”
Clearly, community is important to the city of Northampton as a whole. It allows locals and tourists to reconnect and enjoy the things they love in spaces that were inaccessible for the past few years.
As COVID evolves into a seasonal sickness, Northampton is planning many events in the coming year, from the Back Porch Festival on March 3-5 to the Northampton Jazz Festival in the fall. Overall, there will be many opportunities for people to come into the city and enjoy all it is has to offer.
“I feel like, when people do kind of take that step out of their living room and away from their TVs, they remember just what it’s like to be in an experience and how you can’t get that anywhere else,” Sciarra said. “That’s such a unique experience that can’t be recreated.”
Feb. 1, 7: MCLA Leadership Academy Information Session, 4 p.m. Leadership Academy applications accepted until April 14. These are virtual sessions. Registration is required; to register, visit www.1berkshire.com.
Feb. 2: Virtual Speed Networking, 8-9 a.m. The virtual Speed Networking Coffee Hour with ERC5 and the West of the River Chamber of Commerce is back by popular demand. This is a virtual event hosted via Zoom. Register at erc5ma.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/4725.
Feb. 7: Arrive After 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Dimauro Carpet & Tile Inc., 185 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow. Enjoy refreshments and connect with other passionate networkers. This event is free, but registration is limited and required. Register online at www.erc5.com.
Feb. 22: ERC5 Government Breakfast Reception and Awards, 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by Twin Hills Country Club, Longmeadow. Join the ERC 5 as we gather to celebrate stage and local dignitaries, select board members, town managers, Town Council members, and department leaders from each of our five towns. Tickets cost $45 for members and $50 for non-members. Register online at www.erc5.com.
Feb. 1: Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Progression Brewing Co., 9 Pearl St., Northampton. Sponsored by the Davis Financial Group. Our monthly networking get-together is the perfect place to expand your circle of connections in the business community. New to (or nervous about) networking? Join us at 4 p.m. for a Warm Welcome pre-party and get tips from our experts. This is a free event. Register online at www.explorenorthampton.com.
Feb. 6: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield Barnes Regional Airport, 110 Airport Road, Westfield. This month’s Mayor’s Coffee Hour will be held in the conference room in the terminal building of Westfield Barnes Regional Airport. Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe will fill us in on what’s going on at City Hall, and questions are welcome. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Feb. 16: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Road, Westfield. Don’t miss this networking opportunity. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Feb. 23: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Road, Westfield. Join us for this networking opportunity. Introduce yourself and your business to attendees. Everyone will have a chance to discuss what their business does and what they are looking for to expand and improve. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Feb. 2: Virtual Networking Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m. Join us virtually as we connect with our business friends. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
Dec. 8: 1Berkshire Annual Meeting, 3 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. Each year in December, 1Berkshire hosts a special event for all members. Status and programming reports are given, fiscal analysis is discussed, and official board business is conducted. Learn about what has happened in FY 2023 and what is in store for FY 2024. Sponsored by General Dynamics Mission Systems, Berkshire Innovation Center, Adams Community Bank, Tricia McCormack Photography, Classical Tents and Party Goods, Berkshire Bank, and BusinessWest. Visit 1berkshire.com for more information.
Dec. 14: Holiday Party Celebrating the Carle’s 20th Anniversary, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst. Hospitality provided by Savannas Bar and Bistro. Cost: $20 for chamber members, $25 for non-members. Reserve tickets at www.amherstarea.com.
Dec. 15: Holiday Ugly Sweater Party, 5-8 p.m., hosted by City Sports Bar and Lounge, 352 High St., Holyoke. Deck the halls with us this season in your finest ugly sweater. There will be food, DJ, cash bar, sweater contest, raffle, and local vendors! Bring an unwrapped toy (for HPD) and/or a blanket (for Providence Ministries) to get an extra ticket sheet. Cost: $20, which includes a raffle sheet.
Dec. 7: Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Cedar Chest, Thornes Marketplace, 150 Main St., Northampton. Connect with community and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. New to or nervous about networking? Join us from 4 to 5 p.m. for our Warm Welcome, where a group of chamber ambassadors will help you ease into the idea before the Arrive@5 begins. This month, we’ll gather at Tellus and the Satellite Bar in Thornes Marketplace before heading up to Cedar Chest for the main event. Sponsored by Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, and Transhealth. Cost: This is a free event, open to the public.
Dec. 7: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Pottery Cellar, 77 Mill St., Westfield. Join Mayor Michael McCabe and hear about what’s going on in Westfield and ask questions. Cost: free. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Dec. 15: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Dec. 16: Holiday Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. This is one of our most popular events, so don’t miss out on your chance to attend. Platinum sponsor: Mestek Inc. Gold sponsors: Westfield Gas & Electric and Berkshire Bank. Bronze sponsors: United Way of Pioneer Valley and Commercial Distributing Co. Inc. There will be holiday singing by Westfield High School Chorus members, and we will be collecting donations for the Share the Warmth coat drive. Cost: $35 for members, $40 for non-members. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Nov. 29: Entrepreneurial Meetup, 4:30-5:45 p.m., hosted by Community Access to the Arts (CATA), 420 Stockbridge Road, Suite 2, Great Barrington. Enjoy drinks and conversation with your fellow entrepreneurs and hear from CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller about her entrepreneurial journey and how it informs CATA’s work as an organization. This event is free to attend and made possible through the support of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Registration is required at 1berkshire.com.
Dec. 8: 1Berkshire Annual Meeting, 3 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. Each year in December, 1Berkshire hosts a special event for all members. Status and programming reports are given, fiscal analysis is discussed, and official board business is conducted. Learn about what has happened in FY 2023 and what is in store for FY 2024. Sponsored by General Dynamics Mission Systems, Berkshire Innovation Center, Adams Community Bank, Tricia McCormack Photography, Classical Tents and Party Goods, Berkshire Bank, and BusinessWest. Visit 1berkshire.com for more information.
AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 253-0700; www.amherstarea.com
Dec. 14: Holiday Party Celebrating the Carle’s 20th Anniversary, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst. Hospitality provided by Savannas Bar and Bistro. Cost: $20 for chamber members, $25 for non-members. Reserve tickets at www.amherstarea.com.
EAST OF THE RIVER FIVE TOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 575-7230; www.erc5.com
Dec. 1: ERC5 After 5 with the WRC and YPS, Holiday Networking Spectacular, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Join the ERC5, the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield for an evening of festive fun and friendly competition. Rock your most fabulous ugly holiday sweater, and take a chance at winning prizes. We are also hosting a cocktail competition where you can vote for your favorite signature cocktail and find out which of our hosts will take home the trophy at the end of the night. Cost: $20 for chamber members, $30 for non-members. To register, visit www.erc5.com.
GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 594-2101; www.chicopeechamber.org
Dec. 6: Holiday Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Masse’s American Bistro, 1329 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Wear your festive best for a chance to win holiday door prizes. We’ll also be running a collection drive for Jenna’s Blessing Bags as it hopes to expand its reach through the Chicopee Police. The greatest need this time of year is for winter hats, gloves, and scarves, but anything helps. Sponsored by Polish National Credit Union. Cost: $10 for chamber members, $15 for non-members.
GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 534-3376; www.holyokechamber.com
Dec. 15: Holiday Ugly Sweater Party, 5-8 p.m., hosted by City Sports Bar and Lounge, 352 High St., Holyoke. Deck the halls with us this season in your finest ugly sweater. There will be food, DJ, cash bar, sweater contest, raffle, and local vendors! Bring an unwrapped toy (for HPD) and/or a blanket (for Providence Ministries) to get an extra ticket sheet. Cost: $20, which includes a raffle sheet.
GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 584-1900; www.explorenorthampton.com
Dec. 7: Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Cedar Chest, Thornes Marketplace, 150 Main St., Northampton. Connect with community and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. New to or nervous about networking? Join us from 4 to 5 p.m. for our Warm Welcome, where a group of chamber ambassadors will help you ease into the idea before the Arrive@5 begins. This month, we’ll gather at Tellus and the Satellite Bar in Thornes Marketplace before heading up to Cedar Chest for the main event. Sponsored by Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, and Transhealth. Cost: This is a free event, open to the public.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org
Dec. 7: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Pottery Cellar, 77 Mill St., Westfield. Join Mayor Michael McCabe and hear about what’s going on in Westfield and ask questions. Cost: free. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Dec. 15: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity.
Cost: free. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Dec. 16: Holiday Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. This is one of our most popular events, so don’t miss out on your chance to attend. Platinum sponsor: Mestek Inc. Gold sponsors: Westfield Gas & Electric and Berkshire Bank. Bronze sponsors: United Way of Pioneer Valley and Commercial Distributing Co. Inc. There will be holiday singing by Westfield High School Chorus members, and we will be collecting donations for the Share the Warmth coat drive. Cost: $35 for members, $40 for non-members. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 426-3880; www.ourwrc.com
Dec. 1: Holiday Networking Spectacular with ERC5 and YPS, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern, 13305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Join the WRC, ERC5, and YPS for an evening of festive fun and friendly competition. Rock your most fabulous ugly holiday sweater and vote for your favorite chamber cocktail. Cocktail competition sponsored by PeoplesBank. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
Nov. 9: “Beyond COVID: Leadership Self-Assessment Tools,” 8-11 a.m., hosted by Venture Way Collaborative, 200 Venture Way, Hadley. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit business.amherstarea.com/events.
Nov. 17: 2022 A+ Awards Dinner, 5-8:30 a.m., hosted By UMass Amherst Student Union Ballroom, 41 Campus Center Way. Each year, the Amherst Area Chamber bestows A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in business, education, and civic engagement across the area that the Chamber serves: Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, and Sunderland. The theme for the 19th annual event is “This Is What’s Next.” Cost: $90 per person, $700 for a table of eight. For more information and to register, visit business.amherstarea.com/events.
Nov. 1: ERC5 After 5, 5-6:30 p.m., hosted by Delaney’s Market, 2030 Boston Road, Wilbraham. Invest in your network, get social with the ERC5, reconnect with friends, and make new connections. To register, visit www.erc5.com.
Nov. 9: ERC5 Talkin’ Turkey Table Top 2022, 3-7 p.m., hosted by Twin Hills Country Club, 700 Wolf Swamp Road, Longmeadow. This is an opportunity to learn more about some local businesses. From community-oriented financial, marketing, and security institutions to gift shops, elder-care facilities, and more, this is a one-stop-shop for all types of personal and professional business. Exclusive vendor offers will be available. Admission is free. To register, visit www.erc5.com.
Oct. 29: Chicopee Thriller 5K Road Race & Walk. 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. start. Start and finish at Grise Funeral Home, 280 Springfield St., Chicopee. Wear your spookiest costume. Awards for best costume and fastest runners at the afterparty at Rumbleseat Bar and Grille. Half of all proceeds go to benefit Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry. Presented by N. Riley Construction. Cost: $35, which includes lunch, beverage ticket, and T-shirt. Registration coming soon at chicopeechamber.org. Sponsorships available now.
Nov. 2: Link/Learn series, 4-5 p.m., hosted by Forbes Library, 20 West St., Northampton. During this one-hour interactive workshop, we will consider different scenarios of trust in the workplace, identifying key conditions that foster it and the leadership competencies needed to create a culture of trust and accountability. We will begin at the self-level and expand to leadership in the workplace. Participants will leave with a complimentary Everything DiSC Workplace Assessment code (valued at $85), which is a science-backed tool for developing social and emotional competencies for all levels of an organization. Sponsored by Florence Bank. Cost: free. To register, visit www.northamptonchamber.com.
Nov. 2: Arrive@5 networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Forbes Library, 20 West St., Northampton, with additional support from Smith College, Straw Dog Writers Guild, Artifact Cider, State Street Fruit Store, and Friends of Forbes Library. To register, visit www.northamptonchamber.com.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org
Oct. 27: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.
Nov. 2: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield Museum, 360 Elm St., Westfield. Join Mayor Michael McCabe and hear about what’s going on in Westfield and ask questions. Cost: free. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.
Nov. 9: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hampton Inn, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Join us for an evening of networking. Bring some business cards to share with the attendees and to enter into the raffle. Cost: free to chamber members, $5 for non-members. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.
Nov. 16: Annual Meeting, 5-8 p.m., hosted by Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Join us for a cocktail hour, dinner, welcome and annual meeting, and award presentations. Platinum sponsor: Westfield Bank. Cost: $65 for chamber members, $75 for non-members. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.
Nov. 17: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.
Nov. 10: Super 60, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. This annual award luncheon will honor businesses from many communities across the region representing all sectors of the economy, including real estate, transportation, sports, dining and entertainment, insurance, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. Keynote speaker Myke Connolly, president and CEO of Stand Out Truck, will share his story, insights, and business expertise as an entrepreneur who began his career as an 18-year-old immigrant dishwasher with a strong ambition and a dream. Cost: $60 for members, $75 for general admission. Reserved tables of eight or 10 available. To register, visit myonlinechamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/6186.
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 426-3880; www.ourwrc.com
Nov. 17: Legislative Luncheon & Tour, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Lower Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative/CTEC, Brush Hill, West Springfield. Join us as the culinary students from CTEC serve lunch while we listen to updates from our local legislators on the happenings on Beacon Hill and then tour the CTEC school and see the trade opportunities it provides students. Cost: $35 for chamber members, $45 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
Dec. 1: Holiday Networking Spectacular with ERC5 and YPS, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern, 13305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Join the WRC, ERC5, and YPS for an evening of festive fun and friendly competition. Rock your most fabulous ugly holiday sweater and vote for your favorite chamber cocktail. Cocktail competition sponsored by PeoplesBank. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.
AMHERST — The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce will present its 2022 A+ Awards on Thursday, Nov. 17 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the UMass Student Ballroom at UMass Amherst, with returning presenting sponsor Peoples Bank and major supporting sponsor UMass Amherst.
Each year, the Amherst Area Chamber bestows A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in business, education, and civic engagement across the area that the chamber serves: Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and the Pioneer Valley as a whole.
“Our 2022 A+ awardees make us a better community and a better chamber,” said Claudia Pazmany, the chamber’s executive director. “Individually, they all choose to make contributions that improve our daily quality of life, and collectively, they remind us why building business and building community makes this the place we choose to live, work, and play.”
This year’s Legacy Award honors the United Way Franklin & Hampshire Region for a century of giving of an estimated $50 million through the Great Depression, World War II, the social upheaval of the sixties, the energy crisis, the Great Recession, and the COVID pandemic.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors Angelina Ramirez for her significant contributions to Stavros Center for Independent Living of Amherst. Ramirez has led Stavros since 2019 as its CEO and has spent more than 30 years advocating for the Stavros community. She remained a steady force through the pandemic, ensuring Stavros never closed its doors.
The Leader in Innovation Award recognizes Joshua Rousseau as founder of Amherst Intelligent Security (AIS). As a UMass graduate and CEO and founder of AIS, he has consistently set the bar for great communication, creative solutions to problems, and encouraging the growth and success of individuals and businesses in the Valley. His software and team are changing the way companies work.
The Young Professional Award honors Taylor Robbins of the UMassFive College Credit Union. She has served as a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County and mentored through Entrepreneurship for All. Robbins is an active volunteer with the Clean River Conservation, the Hugh O’Brien leadership Group, the Cancer Walk at Polar Park, Dakin Humane Animal Shelter, and Amherst Survival Center.
The Community Service Award honors Sean Barry of Four Seasons Wines & Liquors of Hadley for his significant contributions to the community around food insecurity. He has been a supporter of Monte’s March in support of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for many years. In addition, he has supported Cancer Connection, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares, Fragile X Foundation, Amherst Survival Center’s Empty Bowls event, the Porter Phelps Concert Series, local veterans, and the first-ever Ireland Forever Festival held in Northampton this year.
The Chamber MVP Award recognizes Kyle Dumas of Greenfield Savings Bank for his significant contributions to the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, including his role as an essential member of the Margarita Madness committee. Beyond his work at the chamber, Dumas has been committed to his community, volunteers in many capacities, and exemplifies building business and building community.
Balazs Buszynak of Video Production by MVRK Productions, Powered by Seven Roads Media, is returning to create video tributes for each awardee.
The chamber will also honor its 2022 Cooley Dickinson Health Care & Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce $1,000 Scholarship Award recipients. Cooley Dickinson’s contribution ensures the scholarships go to four deserving seniors from Amherst Regional High School, Hopkins Academy, Belchertown High School, and Frontier Regional School pursuing business- and/or healthcare-related studies at an institution of higher education.
The 2022 A+ Awards are also made possible by committee members Heidi Flanders, chair, Integrity Development & Construction; Nancy Buffone, UMass Amherst; Joan Dahl Lussier, Homewood Suites; Jonathan Scully, Cooley Dickinson Health Care; Jessica West, bankESB; Lynn Gray, Hampshire Mall and Holyoke Mall; Kishore Parmar, Pioneer Valley Hotel Group; and Michael Gay, PeoplesBank.
Tickets cost $90 per person and $700 for a table of eight, and registration is open at amherstarea.com.
Oct. 29: Chicopee Thriller 5K Road Race & Walk. 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. start. Start and finish at Grise Funeral Home, 280 Springfield St., Chicopee. Wear your spookiest costume. Awards for best costume and fastest runners at the afterparty at Rumbleseat Bar and Grille. Half of all proceeds go to benefit Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry. Presented by N. Riley Construction. Cost: $35, which includes lunch, beverage ticket, and T-shirt. Registration coming soon at chicopeechamber.org. Sponsorships available now.
Oct. 12: Meet the Candidates, 5-8 p.m., hosted by Holyoke Country Club, 2 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Mingle and hear from Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, the City Council, and officials who will be on the ballot for the November election. This is an informal opportunity to get your voice heard and make an informative vote this election season. Register at business.holyokechamber.com/events or by calling (413) 534-3376.
Oct. 2: Arrive@5 networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Union Station, 125A Pleasant St., Northampton. Sponsored by NETA, NeJame, Kling Law Offices, and William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. For more information, visit northamptonchamber.com.
Sept. 29: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Oct. 5: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield, 28 West Silver St., Westfield. Join Mayor Michael McCabe and hear about what’s going on in Westfield and ask questions. Cost: free. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Oct. 12: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. Join us for our Octoberfest-themed After 5 networking event. Cost: free to chamber members, $5 for non-members. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Oct. 12: Rise & Shine Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by MGM Springfield. As they celebrate a decade of commitment to the chamber and investing in Greater Springfield, executives from MGM Springfield will speak at the first Springfield Regional Chamber Rise & Shine Business Breakfast of 2022-23.The breakfast begins with networking at 7:30 a.m. Arlen Carballo, MGM Springfield’s executive director of Finance, and Beth Ward, director of Community Affairs, will address the transformative economic impact the casino continues to have on the region following the pandemic, the recent passage of sports betting that will lead to the opening of the new MGM Sports Lounge, upcoming entertainment, and more. Cost: $30 for members ($35 at the door), $40 general admission ($45 at the door).
Oct. 19: Food Fest West, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. Local restaurants will show off their cuisine at this popular event. Vote for your favorite restaurant. A raffle, silent auction, and entertainment will round out this event. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. To purchase tickets and sponsorships, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
Sept. 20: Virtual Dulye Leadership Experience Workshop: “Demystify Digital Currency,” 5-6 p.m. With its dramatic swings, the world of cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and blockchains has been volatile and perplexing. Sort through the confusion with nationally recognized experts Paul Farella and Alexandra Renders of Berkshire-based Willow Investments, who will provide a balanced take on the current landscape, how it works, and where they see digital currency heading. This interactive program features a question-and-answer exchange with the speakers. Register for this virtual event at 1berkshirestrategicalliancemacoc.weblinkconnect.com/events.
BRADLEY REGIONAL CHAMBER
(860) 653-3833; bradleyregionalchamber.org
Sept. 21: Bradley Regional Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn, 12-1 p.m., hosted by Bobby V’s in Windsor Locks, Conn. Join us as Wayne Lerario, vice president of Sales at Nutmeg Technologies, helps chamber members answer the question, do you have the right tech company for your business? We all rely on technology for our businesses, both for our staff and our customers. Lerario will help us consider the benefits of choosing the right IT partner as he talks about the many important things to consider with this critical partnership. Attendees will pay for their own lunch. To register, email Bob Brawders at [email protected].
EAST OF THE RIVER FIVE TOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 575-7230; www.erc5.com
Sept. 23: 20th Annual Golf Classic, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., hosted by Country Club of Wilbraham. Throughout the day, there will be food, raffles, awards, contests of skill, networking, and spirited competition. To purchase a sponsorship or register for the Classic, visit bit.ly/ERC520thGolfClassic.
FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 773-5463; franklincc.org
Sept. 23: Chamber Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., hosted by Franklin County Tech School, in the gymnasium, located at 82 Industrial Blvd. in the Turners Falls Industrial Park. Our first breakfast of the season will be the United Way of Franklin and Hampshire Region campaign kickoff. Cost: $20 for members, $22 general admission. Register at franklincc.org.
GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 594-2101; chicopeechamber.org
Oct. 29: Chicopee Thriller 5K Road Race & Walk. 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. start. Start and finish at Grise Funeral Home, 280 Springfield St., Chicopee. Wear your spookiest costume. Awards for best costume and fastest runners at the afterparty at Rumbleseat Bar and Grille. Half of all proceeds go to benefit Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry. Presented by N. Riley Construction. Cost: $35, which includes lunch, beverage ticket, and T-shirt. Registration coming soon at chicopeechamber.org. Sponsorships available now.
GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 534-3376; holyokechamber.com
Oct. 12: Meet the Candidates, 5-8 p.m., hosted by Holyoke Country Club, 2 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Mingle and hear from Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, the City Council, and officials who will be on the ballot for the November election. This is an informal opportunity to get your voice heard and make an informative vote this election season. Register at business.holyokechamber.com/events or by calling (413) 534-3376.
GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 584-1900; northamptonchamber.com
Sept. 23: netWORK at ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us for our netWORK series, where we partner with a local nonprofit and invite our Greater Northampton Chamber community to participate in a project to benefit that organization. For this netWORK event, we’ll team up with ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm, the first therapeutic farming community in the Pioneer Valley, providing meaningful agricultural employment for people with developmental disabilities, autism, or mental-health challenges. Volunteer work for the day will be broken up into two shifts, and tasks will include field work (weeding and harvesting), mushroom work, and animal work. Volunteers should arrive dressed for farm work, with appropriate clothes and shoes. For more information, visit northamptonchamber.com.
Oct. 2: Arrive@5 networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Union Station, 125A Pleasant St., Northampton. Sponsored by NETA, NeJame, Kling Law Offices, and William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. For more information, visit northamptonchamber.com.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; westfieldbiz.org
Sept. 22: September Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by 104th Fighter Wing, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield. This is one of our most popular events. Platinum sponsor is Baystate Health. Silver sponsors include A Plus HVAC and ProAmpac. Bronze sponsors include Westfield Public Schools, Armbrook Village, Fly Lugu, Northeast Paving, and BHN/Carson Center. Coffee-bar sponsor is the Westfield Starfires. Cost: $35 to chamber members; $40 for the general public. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Sept. 29: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 426-3880; www.ourwrc.com
Oct. 19: Food Fest West, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. Local restaurants will show off their cuisine at this popular event. Vote for your favorite restaurant. A raffle, silent auction, and entertainment will round out this event. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. To purchase tickets and sponsorships, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
Sept. 20: Virtual Dulye Leadership Experience Workshop: “Demystify Digital Currency,” 5-6 p.m. With its dramatic swings, the world of cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and blockchains has been volatile and perplexing. Sort through the confusion with nationally recognized experts Paul Farella and Alexandra Renders of Berkshire-based Willow Investments, who will provide a balanced take on the current landscape, how it works, and where they see digital currency heading. This interactive program features a question-and-answer exchange with the speakers. Register for this virtual event at 1berkshirestrategicalliancemacoc.weblinkconnect.com/events.
Sept. 8: Amherst Area Internship Fair, 12-2 p.m., hosted by UMass Amherst, Goodell Bernie Dallas Room. Is your business looking for an intern? Meet with UMass students from all majors who can support you in a variety of areas: communications and marketing, data, analytics, statistics, research, technology, security, websites, databases, creative arts, design, finance and accounting, writing, editing, content management, sales, lead creation, database cleanup, metrics evaluation, lab and environmental data collection, and/or analysis. For more information, visit amherstarea.com.
Sept. 14: Grillin’ & Chillin’ Under the Pavillion, 4:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet. Join us for a multi-chamber event with the Amherst Area, Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, and South Hadley Granby chambers of commerce at Summit View Banquet and Pavilion with a BBQ buffet, games, a photo booth, door prizes, and featuring DJ Jay Entertainment, Totally Hitched Photo Booth Camper, and Loophole and Leadfoot breweries. Sponsored by Keiter, Polish National Credit Union, Superior Plus Energy Services, Holyoke Gas & Electric, and the Plan. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Register at amherstarea.com.
Sept. 21: Bradley Regional Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn, 12-1 p.m., hosted by Bobby V’s in Windsor Locks, Conn. Join us as Wayne Lerario, vice president of Sales at Nutmeg Technologies, helps chamber members answer the question, do you have the right tech company for your business? We all rely on technology for our businesses, both for our staff and our customers. Lerario will help us consider the benefits of choosing the right IT partner as he talks about the many important things to consider with this critical partnership. Attendees will pay for their own lunch. To register, email Bob Brawders at [email protected].
Sept. 7: Coffee Hour Connections with ERC5, 8:30-9:30 a.m., hosted by the Yoga Shop, 185 Miller St., Ludlow. Grab a coffee, energize, and flow into a morning of connecting with colleagues and growing your brand. Sponsored by Community Bank. Register online at www.erc5.com.
Sept. 23: 20th Annual Golf Classic, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., hosted by Country Club of Wilbraham. Throughout the day, there will be food, raffles, awards, contests of skill, networking, and spirited competition. To purchase a sponsorship or register for the Classic, visit bit.ly/ERC520thGolfClassic.
Sept. 23: Chamber Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., hosted by Franklin County Tech School, in the gymnasium, located at 82 Industrial Blvd. in the Turners Falls Industrial Park. Our first breakfast of the season will be the United Way of Franklin and Hampshire Region campaign kickoff. Cost: $20 for members, $22 general admission. Register at franklincc.org.
Sept. 14: Grillin’ & Chillin’ Under the Pavillion, 4:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet. Join us for a multi-chamber event with the Amherst Area, Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, and South Hadley Granby chambers of commerce at Summit View Banquet and Pavilion with a BBQ buffet, games, a photo booth, door prizes, and featuring DJ Jay Entertainment, Totally Hitched Photo Booth Camper, and Loophole and Leadfoot breweries. Sponsored by Keiter, Polish National Credit Union, Superior Plus Energy Services, Holyoke Gas & Electric, and the Plan. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Register at chicopeechamber.org.
Sept. 12: 2022 Chamber Cup Golf Tournament, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., hosted by Wyckoff Country Club, Holyoke. Mingle and network, win prizes, make new connections, and enjoy a fun day of golf. Each registration includes lunch, golf, and dinner for four people, and a chance to win prizes. On-course activities include beer and spirit tastings; hole-in-one contests for a car, an all-expenses-paid vacation, and an alcohol-filled YETI cooler; a long-drive contest; and food tastings from local restaurants. Inside are silent auctions on one-of-a-kind sports prizes, with a memorabilia auction before dinner. The dinner will be open to membership and the public and will include a brief annual meeting and the awards ceremony, Register at business.holyokechamber.com/events or by calling (413) 534-3376.
Sept. 14: Grillin’ & Chillin’ Under the Pavillion, 4:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet. Join us for a multi-chamber event with the Amherst Area, Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, and South Hadley Granby chambers of commerce at Summit View Banquet and Pavilion with a BBQ buffet, games, a photo booth, door prizes, and featuring DJ Jay Entertainment, Totally Hitched Photo Booth Camper, and Loophole and Leadfoot breweries. Sponsored by Keiter, Polish National Credit Union, Superior Plus Energy Services, Holyoke Gas & Electric, and the Plan. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Register at business.holyokechamber.com/events or call (413) 534-3376.
Sept. 14: Arrive@5 Networking Event, hosted by the Academy of Music, Northampton. Connect with community and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce at the next Arrive@5. Sponsored by United Way of Franklin and Hampshire Region, Kuhn Riddle Architects, and Hampshire Hearing and Speech Services. For more information, visit northamptonchamber.com.
Sept. 23: netWORK at ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us for our netWORK series, where we partner with a local nonprofit and invite our Greater Northampton Chamber community to participate in a project to benefit that organization. For this netWORK event, we’ll team up with ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm, the first therapeutic farming community in the Pioneer Valley, providing meaningful agricultural employment for people with developmental disabilities, autism, or mental-health challenges. Volunteer work for the day will be broken up into two shifts, and tasks will include field work (weeding and harvesting), mushroom work, and animal work. Volunteers should arrive dressed for farm work, with appropriate clothes and shoes. For more information, visit northamptonchamber.com.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; westfieldbiz.org
Sept. 14: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Results in Wellness LLC at 93 Springfield Road, Suite B, Westfield. Join us again or for the first time to discuss the concerns you may have as a business owner and how we may help each other through these challenging times. You will meet fellow business people from this community, exchange business cards, and discuss what’s happening in your business. Cost: free to chamber members; $5 for non-members. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Sept. 22: September Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by 104th Fighter Wing, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield. This is one of our most popular events. Platinum sponsor is Baystate Health. Silver sponsors include A Plus HVAC and ProAmpac. Bronze sponsors include Westfield Public Schools, Armbrook Village, Fly Lugu, Northeast Paving, and BHN/Carson Center. Coffee-bar sponsor is the Westfield Starfires. Cost: $35 to chamber members; $40 for the general public. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Sept. 29: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. For more information, visit westfieldbiz.org.
Sept. 14: Grillin’ & Chillin’ Under the Pavillion, 4:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet. Join us for a multi-chamber event with the Amherst Area, Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, and South Hadley Granby chambers of commerce at Summit View Banquet and Pavilion with a BBQ buffet, games, a photo booth, door prizes, and featuring DJ Jay Entertainment, Totally Hitched Photo Booth Camper, and Loophole and Leadfoot breweries. Sponsored by Keiter, Polish National Credit Union, Superior Plus Energy Services, Holyoke Gas & Electric, and the Plan. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Register at shgchamber.com.
Sept. 8: Job Fair 2022, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. West Springfield and Agawam businesses, along with other employment opportunities from around Western Mass., will be showcased for the public. High-school students, college students, and adults will be attending this event looking to begin or advance their careers. This event is free and open to the public. To be a participating vendor, register online: at www.ourwrc.com.
Sept. 13: September Social & Celebrity Cornhole Tournament, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Trinity Pub/Irish Cultural Center of New England, West Springfield. Join us for a night of networking as you cheer on the mayors, state senator, state representatives, and police and fire chiefs as they battle it out to be the cornhole champs of 2022. Sponsorship opportunities are available. To register to attend or sponsor, visit www.ourwrc.com.
FLORENCE — For the second straight year, Keiter Corp. has made a large donation to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a promotion that allows consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power.
The most recent gift of $20,000 — twice the amount Keiter donated in August 2021 — was made to provide economic stimulus in the post-pandemic era and also create goodwill in the community. Billed as the “Strengthen the Community with a Keiter Card” campaign, the latest donation will be supplemented by a $5,000 contribution from the chamber’s Community Revitalization Fund, meaning 1,000 of the double-valued gift cards will be sold.
The promotion will launch today, Aug. 9, and the $25 Keiter gift cards will be sold, while supplies last, only at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St. in Northampton on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Consumers must mention that they want a Keiter card, and the promotion applies only to $25 Northampton gift-card purchases. (A $50 gift card would not be valued at $100, for instance.) There is a limit of one card per customer, per transaction.
“Our community matters to us,” said Scott Keiter, founder and president of Keiter Corp. “This is where we live and where our families live, and the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on all of us. After the campaign’s success last year, we’re thrilled to invest even more in our community this year to keep Northampton thriving.”
Based in Florence, Keiter has provided general-contracting and construction-management services in the Valley since 2010 for its commercial and residential projects.
Scott Keiter is a member of the Northampton Chamber’s board of directors and its finance committee, so he is personally aware of the financial challenges that local merchants continue to experience post-pandemic.
Last year’s “Kickstart the Community” promotion was a huge success, infusing $27,500 into the local economy in eight days. “That was an unprecedented boost to local businesses in the wake of the pandemic,” Keiter said. “The community’s engagement and participation inspired us to help with recovery once again.”
The Keiter Corp. tagline is “Develop. Build. Manage.” It reflects what Keiter is doing in the community through these investments.
The Northampton gift card is currently accepted at more than 80 local businesses, including restaurants, shops, service locations, spas, and other establishments.
CHICOPEE — The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce announced Melissa Breor as its new executive director.
“It brings me great joy to return to the city where I grew up, sharing my passion and skills to continue to create new opportunities for and strengthen the Chicopee business community,” Breor said. “I have always been confident that, in whatever work I’m doing, I want to support other people thriving in what they do and create community around it.
Breor spent four years at the Northampton Chamber of Commerce. Inspired by her work there leading the launch of Hampshire County tourism platforms, she co-founded Western Mass Beer Week in 2016 to celebrate the economic impact of the region’s burgeoning local craft-beer industry. After her time at the chamber, she worked as the assistant director of Marketing and later interim director at the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, finding new ways to connect, grow, and measure audience development. Most recently, she worked for Gateway City Arts in Holyoke as Press & Outreach coordinator, as well as in customer service at various businesses in the region.
“I can’t wait to meet you all and learn how you make our community so special and what more we can accomplish for Chicopee,” Breor added.
And that name pretty much says what it is. Created by Gallup, it’s a 177-question assessment designed to identify an individual’s strengths when it comes to leadership.
There are 34 such strengths, as identified after years of research by Don Clifton, and they include everything from communication and consistency to focus and positivity, said Colleen DelVecchio, founder of Colleen DelVecchio Consulting.
But identifying strengths is merely the first important step in the process toward becoming a better, more effective leader, said DelVecchio, who will lead an experiential workshop called “Activating Your Leadership Strengths” at the upcoming sheLEADS women’s conference being staged by the Chamber of Greater Easthampton.
Indeed, one’s strengths need to be … well, activated, she said, adding that her program, which she delivers several times a week on average to a wide range of audiences, is designed to help individuals put strengths identified by the assessment to full and effective use.
“Our focus is on providing attendees tools and connections that they didn’t have when they walked in.”
“We’ll look at these strengths and talk about how to aim them at your job; how do you aim your strengths at the things you need to do to become a leader?” she said, adding that attendees should leave the room with a clearer understanding of their five greatest strengths when it comes to leadership and, more importantly, how to apply them.
DelVecchio’s program is one of several components scheduled for sheLEADS, the rebranded professional-development conference launched by the Easthampton Chamber and then sidelined, as so many similar initiatives have been, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The half-day conference, with the theme “Bold, Brave, and Beyond,” will also include a panel discussion, titled “The Language of Leadership,” featuring Pia Kumar, chief strategy officer for Universal Plastics in Holyoke; Lynnette Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton; and Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, CEO of Inclusive Strategies.
It will also include a keynote address, called “Be Great Where Your Feet Are,” from Robyn Glaser, senior vice president of Business Affairs for the Kraft Group (owner of the New England Patriots), made possible by the event’s speaker sponsor, bankESB.
The sheLEADS conference is slated for Friday, May 20 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Bolyston Room in the Keystone Building, 122 Pleasant St., Easthampton. For tickets and details, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org/events.
Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Easthampton Chamber, said the women’s professional-development conference has become an important annual event, attended by women in virtually every sector of the economy. Over the past few years, it has been a virtual event, but the chamber decided that, with COVID subsiding and the number of cases declining, it was time to return to an in-person format.
The chamber is, in many ways, easing its way back in with the conference, opting for a half-day format, rather than full day, followed by networking at Abandoned Building Brewery. Roughly 100 attendees are expected, and they are being spaced out in a nod toward safety during the pandemic. There is also a virtual component to the conference, featuring the keynote address and panel discussion.
Like DelVecchio, Belliveau said the conference is designed for women looking to find their voice when it comes to leadership and learn from others how to be a more effective leader — in the workplace, but also in the community.
“This is a high-energy day filled with professional development, relationship- and leadership-building opportunities,” Belliveau said. “Our focus is on providing attendees tools and connections that they didn’t have when they walked in.”
By Reviving a Beloved Event, She’s Creating a More Vibrant Downtown
Leah Martin Photography
Ruth Griggs was having coffee with Amy Cahillane one day in 2017, when Cahillane, who had recently taken charge of the Downtown Northampton Assoc., posed a question.
“She said, ‘what do you think about the Jazz Festival?” Griggs recalled. “I said, ‘what do you mean?’”
Cahillane told Griggs that, in her interactions with people downtown, she kept getting asked questions like, “can we have the Jazz Festival back? We miss live music downtown. What happened to the festival? Can you get it back?”
Griggs had been involved in the first incarnation of the Northampton Jazz Festival, from 2011 to 2015, after returning to her hometown following a three-decade marketing career in New York City. “I went to the shows, and once they got to know I was a marketing professional, I kind of was an advisor to them. I was never on the board, but I was definitely an advisor and helped them out quite a bit, the last two years in particular.”
Then the festival went away for two years, and Cahillane was angling to get Griggs and others who had supported it in the past to bring it back to life, promising to help build stronger relationships between the festival and city leaders and boost marketing and fundraising efforts.
“Having a strong presence downtown and good relationships downtown was really important to me, and I also know all the jazz people who knew how to put on that festival, some of whom had been involved in previous festivals,” Griggs said. “So I set to work to rally some support.”
The biggest challenge at the time, she said, was not losing the event’s 501(c)(3) status, which had been achieved right before the final festival in 2015. “If you let a 501(c)(3) go without any kind of documentation to the feds or the state for three years, it’s gone. And I could not let that happen.”
So Griggs and others formed a board, pulled the festival back from the brink, and started planning for the return of the event in 2018. Oh, and that board put Griggs in charge.
“I really care about the vitality and the economy of Northampton. I’m hoping the Northampton Jazz Festival will continue to reaffirm and reinforce the unique entertainment value that Northampton offers.”
It made sense — since returning from New York in 2011, she had built a marketing firm, RC Communications, that focused on small to mid-sized businesses and especially nonprofits, which are, in many ways, the lifeblood of the region. She has also been a board member with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for the past six years and is currently its immediate past vice president.
“I am a marketing strategist by trade, and, as such, I am good at seeing the big picture, keeping my eye on the vision and mission of an organization,” Griggs told BusinessWest. “When you combine that with my work in nonprofits over the last 15 years, that adds up to the type of experience that enables me to lead a nonprofit, which, of course, is what the Jazz Fest is at the end of the day.”
Her leadership in the chamber and her role as an entrepreneur with RC Communications have helped her build a wide network in the business community, she added.
Ruth Griggs announces from the stage of the Academy of Music in Northampton during the headline Jazz Festival concert last October. Photo by Julian Parker-Burns
“I also just have a knack for getting things done; I am a doer,” she went on. “Fundraising for the Jazz Fest, which is a big part of what I do, benefits from these relationships. As president of the board, I oversee all operations of the festival and keep everyone’s eye on the ball, but I have a particular focus on marketing and fundraising and community relations, with the help of Amy Cahillane.”
Within that model, she leaves the choosing and booking of the musicians and the running of the performances to five producers who serve on the board. And the model works, with the two-day October festival roaring back to life in 2018 and following that with successful outings in 2019 and 2021 as well; pandemic-disrupted 2020 saw a series of virtual performances instead.
But that success isn’t contained to the festival, or even to jazz lovers. As a two-day event held in locations scattered throughout the downtown (more on that in a bit), the event promotes the downtown corridor and boosts its businesses, making the festival’s success a true economic-development story, and Griggs a Difference Maker.
“I really care about the vitality and the economy of Northampton,” she said. “I’m hoping the Northampton Jazz Festival will continue to reaffirm and reinforce the unique entertainment value that Northampton offers.”
Taking It to the Streets
One key factor in the festival’s growing impact on downtown Northampton is a change in how it’s staged. From 2011 to 2015, it was presented in the Armory Street Parking Lot behind Thornes Marketplace. Along with the music stage was a beer tent, food vendors, a chef competition, and an art fair. It was a fun, multi-activity event, and attendees enjoyed it, Griggs said.
“What I felt was lacking was, if you were on Main Street, you had no idea anything was going on,” she explained. “It was tucked behind Thornes. It was efficient in that everything took place in one place, but there wasn’t a lot of space for an audience.”
Then, Cahillane and board member Paul Arslanian both came up with the same idea independently for the 2018 festival.
“In order to keep the cost down, which had gotten very high, and to be more all around town, they said, ‘let’s stage it in different places,’” Griggs said of the decision to schedule music acts inside downtown businesses, requiring attendees to move around to see them all.
The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration last October featured five original Jazz Messengers, including Robin Eubanks on trombone, Brian Lynch on trumpet, and Bobby Watson on saxophone. Photo by Julian Parker-Burns
“The idea was to get people to walk from place to place and stop in at a gallery or stop in at a restaurant or stop in at a café, and we would leave time in between shows so people could do that,” she explained. “Half the mission is supporting the economy of Northampton and bringing vibrancy back, which is what people said they wanted.”
Saturday’s slate of performances ends with the only ticketed show of the festival, a nationally known headliner at the Academy of Music. In recent years, that show has featured the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet in 2018, the Kurt Elling Quintet in 2019, and the Art Blakey Centennial Celebration in 2021, featuring five original members of Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
The model has worked well, Griggs said, although the board has talked about streamlining it by bringing the venues closer together. One thing that won’t change, however, is the Friday Jazz Strut, which features local and regional bands, including student bands, and overlapping performance schedules.
“We stage the music a half-hour apart, and every band plays for two hours,” she noted. “That definitely gets people all over town, patronizing the restaurants and breweries and cafés. And that’s important.”
Speaking of students, the festival board also supports jazz education through a program called Jazz Artists in the Schools, in which Arslanian secures jazz artists from big cities across the Northeast to workshop with local high-school jazz bands.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for students to learn from musicians who make music, who have successfully made music their life — active, performing musicians,” Griggs said.
While “the board is the Jazz Festival,” she said, noting that it’s certainly a working board with year-round responsibilities, the festival itself also pulls in dozens of young volunteers each year, and she’s been moved by the sentiments they’ve expressed.
Cocomama performs at Pulaski Park in Northampton in October, one of many female-fronted acts who played last year’s Jazz Festival.
“One said, ‘I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I’ll be a runner, whatever you need for this to run smoothly; this is important,’” she recalled. A woman who had recently moved from Brooklyn said, “when I found out that Northampton has a jazz festival, I thought, ‘wow, this is a cool down, I want to live here, this is really cool.’
“That’s important for me to hear,” Griggs noted, adding that one vocalist who took part in the Jazz Strut clamored for more involvement and is now serving on the board.
“That’s critically important to me,” she went on. “I want this to last. I’ve been at this now since 2017, and I’ll be darned if, when I step down, it dies. That cannot happen. I would feel I failed if that happened. It’s critically important. So we need to keep bringing in the younger players and the younger musicians and the younger people who really care about keeping it alive. I think the Jazz Festival is now, and will be, an important feather in Northampton’s cap.”
Community Focused
Another volunteer and musician noted the 2021 festival’s increased slate of women performers, telling Griggs that was a definite plus for such an event in Northampton. She was impressed by young jazz enthusiasts pointing that fact out. “The goal is to continue to showcase women in jazz.”
Griggs has certainly shone over the years as a woman in marketing. As noted, she worked in New York City for 30 years, marketing for dot-com firms, mutual funds, and large corporations like American Express and Coca-Cola. She and her husband actually owned a firm for eight of those years, doing mostly financial-services marketing.
“That was lucrative, but totally intangible,” she said. “I got so tired of marketing credit cards and things like that.”
Then, while taking her teenage sons on college tours, she fell in love with higher education and the idea of “marketing people.” So she segued into higher-ed marketing for Queensboro Community College in the city.
“It totally changed my life. I felt like I got a crash course in nonprofit marketing and fundraising, because I reported to Development.”
When she returned to Northampton in 2011, she carried that experience with her into her new firm, RC Communications, working with a host of nonprofits in the Valley. She was also part of the Creative, a marketing enterprise she formed with Janice Beetle and Maureen Scanlon.
“But I was getting so involved in the chamber and the Jazz Festival, I felt like I needed to pull back and be semi-retired,” she told BusinessWest. While she still works with a few long-time clients, the rest of her time is split between the Jazz Festival, the chamber, her role chairing the investment committee at Edwards Church, and also Valley Jazz Voices, a group, formed in 2015, of 30 vocalists who sing exclusively jazz throughout region. “I just have so many initiatives I’m doing in the community, I just feel fortunate that I can spend more time doing them.”
She sees a symbiosis in these roles, just as she does between the Jazz Festival and the downtown environment it lifts up, and gets a lift from in return.
“The relationships I’ve made in the chamber are helpful to my business, and also helpful to the Jazz Festival, which is, in turn, helpful to the town. It’s a complete full circle.”
And a full life, one with the controlled, yet exciting, rhythm of a jazz performance — a life of true impact, note by note.
“I feel like I’m making a difference that people see most visibly — in the Jazz Fest — because of all the other things I do,” Griggs said. “It’s all of those things that I think make a difference together.”
New Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra says a redesign of Main Street is one of the city’s key issues moving forward.
As 2022 begins, Gina-Louise Sciarra starts the new year as Northampton’s new mayor. As she settles into the job, the city faces big opportunities and challenges, especially the constant challenge of managing COVID-19 and its variants. Even as the pandemic adapts, Sciarra said she’s confident the workers and businesses in Northampton will also adapt and keep moving forward.
“We have to help our businesses through this really difficult time and figure out what the next stage of our economy is going to look like,” Sciarra said. “We have a special downtown that we want to stay vibrant and keep it the popular destination it’s always been.”
One of the largest projects on the mayor’s agenda involves a redesign of Main Street. Northampton has a uniquely wide main artery, which Sciarra said is lovely in some ways, but it also presents safety issues.
“We’re going to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as create more green space,” she said. “The redesign will help us meet the next era of retail and commerce while keeping it a place people want to come and experience.”
Not surprisingly, the Main Street redesign has been a huge topic of conversation among downtown businesses, according to Amy Cahillane, executive director of the Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA). Cahillane said some of her members favor keeping the wide Main Street and making crosswalks safer, while others would like to see the street narrowed, allowing for wider sidewalks.
“I don’t think there will be a design that makes everyone happy,” Cahillane said. “At the same time, it’s important for all to understand the magnitude of impact that construction will have on downtown businesses.”
She added that she’s eager to find out if the city will support businesses during the redesign because, after two years of reduced income due to COVID, they will soon face a construction process that also hurts the bottom line.
“We’re going to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as create more green space. The redesign will help us meet the next era of retail and commerce while keeping it a place people want to come and experience.”
“I don’t think it can be publicized enough what the construction will look like and how to navigate downtown while businesses are open,” Cahillane said. “I would also like to see financial support for businesses after all they’ve had to endure.”
After years of community input on the project, Sciarra said Northampton is in line to receive nearly 25% from the state for the Main Street redesign project, and that’s enough to keep it moving toward a construction start in 2025.
“Because of the size of this project, we will also modernize the underground infrastructure during the construction period,” she said.
Rescue and Recovery
A more immediate task for the new mayor involves $22 million earmarked for Northampton under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Sciarra said one of her first actions will be appointing an advisory committee to determine how to best allocate the ARPA funds. She appreciates that not everyone starts a term in office with these resources.
Vince Jackson says businesses have been opening and closing in Northampton at about the same rate during the pandemic.
“It’s spectacular to have these funds, but it’s also a huge responsibility,” she said. “This money comes out of a tragic time, so I want to make sure we steward it well and get the most out of it to benefit Northampton.”
This year will also see a new municipal office with the introduction of the Department of Community Care. This new area of public safety resulted from the efforts of the Northampton Police and Review Committee appointed by previous Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and Sciarra while she was City Council president. The review committee was charged with looking at what changes should be made to improve public safety.
“Their top recommendation was to create a city department to provide an unarmed response to non-criminal calls,” Sciarra explained.
After hiring Sean Donavan as implementation director for the department in November, the next step is to set up meetings with fire and police dispatchers to figure out how calls from the public will be allocated. Sciarra noted that, because the police have been the default 24/7 responders, they have handled many calls out of their realm.
“Weary because we’re just tired of COVID and the sense that we start to make progress only to see another setback. And wary because of all the uncertainty when you try to plan ahead in this environment.”
“My goal is to bring everyone together so we can figure out how to transfer some of these calls to our new service. We have a lot to do, but it’s exciting to set up a new department,” she said, noting that the goal is to have Community Care up and running by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
From late summer through the fall, many Northampton businesses reported robust sales, some approaching 2019 numbers. In December, the rapid ascension of the Omicron variant of COVID caused the mood to change. Vince Jackson, executive director of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, explained it as people feeling “weary and wary.”
“Weary because we’re just tired of COVID and the sense that we start to make progress only to see another setback,” Jackson said. “And wary because of all the uncertainty when you try to plan ahead in this environment.”
For Jeffrey Hoess-Brooks, September and October felt like old times. Hoess-Brooks, regional managing director for the Hotel Northampton and Fairfield Suites, noted that, even when business was up, staffing levels were down — which remains an issue. On some days, the housekeeping crew could not finish their work until evening hours because they were so short-staffed.
“Everyone was pitching in to help,” Hoess-Brooks said. “I cleaned more guest rooms this summer than I have in my entire 32 years in the industry.” Still, while January and February are traditionally slow months, he remains optimistic that business and staffing will improve by spring.
Northampton at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1883 Population: 29.571 Area: 35.8 square miles County: Hampshire Residential tax rate: $17.89 Commercial tax rate: $17.89 Median Household Income: $56,999 Median Family Income: $80,179 Type of government: Mayor, City Council Largest Employers: Cooley Dickinson Hospital; ServiceNet Inc.; Smith College; L-3 KEO * Latest information available
To find ways to keep going, Cahillane said many business owners are upgrading their online shopping and ordering capabilities, while others are renovating their locations.
Despite all the challenges, Jackson remains hopeful about the coming year. He pointed out that, since the beginning of the pandemic, Northampton has seen 20 businesses close, but 20 new businesses opened during the same time. “It speaks to the resilience of the community and the example that it sets for the entrepreneurial spirit in Northampton.”
Raising All Boats
Meanwhile, Cahillane is busy planning her first community event for 2022, the Northampton Ice Arts Festival, scheduled for Feb. 11, featuring various ice sculptures throughout downtown.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed that we will be able to have the event, especially because it’s outside,” she said, acknowledging the uncertainty while continuing to move forward.
Outdoor dining, which Cahillane has called a lifesaver for many restaurants, remains very popular. Amit Kanoujia, general manager of India House (see story on page 25), is looking to start his outdoor seating earlier and expand it later this year because so many people have asked him to consider it. “In the early spring, our guests bring jackets, and by the fall, they are willing to wear parkas to soak in as much of the outdoor experience as they can.”
Kanoujia remarked on the spirit of cooperation he’s seen among businesses and city leaders to keep moving forward. Jackson echoed that sentiment and added that collaboration is more important now than ever before.
“At the chamber, we try to remind everyone that we are all investors in our community and in our economy,” he said. “When one succeeds, we all succeed.”
Amy Cahillane says the city is in a better place than it was a year ago, but staffing remains a problem for businesses.
As Northampton works through the various stages of the pandemic, one term best describes any discussion about looking ahead.
“I’ve used the phrase ‘cautiously optimistic’ hundreds of times in the last several weeks, never mind the last year and a half,” said Amy Cahillane, executive director of Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA) — cautious because the city reimposed mask mandates before many other communities did, and optimistic because, despite all the challenges, Northampton can point to many successes.
Janet Egelston, owner of Northampton Brewery, said the last 18 months have been an ongoing process of pivoting, adapting, and learning, adding that “we call what we’re going through ‘pandemic university.’”
Northampton enjoys a long tradition as a dining destination. With more than 100 places to eat in the city, restaurants are a key sector to Northampton’s economy. Vince Jackson, executive director of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, said economic studies have shown that, when restaurants are thriving, other business sectors do, too.
“Every job a restaurant creates results in another job in the community,” he explained. “Think about a typical date night — go out for dinner, go see a show, and then maybe a drink at the end of the evening.”
That’s why the pandemic, and the business restrictions that have accompanied it, have been so disruptive to the city’s economy. And the disruptions have come in waves; earlier this spring, when vaccines became widely available and COVID-19 infection numbers began to decrease, Northampton, like many communities, was able to relax masking requirements. Once vaccination levels began to plateau and the Delta variant of the virus kicked in, infections began to trend back up.
And when the city’s Health Department found several breakthrough cases that forced a couple restaurants to close for testing and quarantine, Mayor David Narkewicz made the decision to bring back indoor mask mandates.
“We are very fortunate to have this outdoor space, but it wasn’t as simple as opening the doors.”
“It’s never easy to be out front and be the first, but since we brought back masking, the communities around us have followed suit,” he said, adding that the city’s priority is keeping everyone safe and healthy. “We need businesses open for customers. Otherwise, the engine that drives Northampton isn’t going to run.”
The return to wearing masks was an easy change for Egelston’s staff at Northampton Brewery.
“In the restaurant business, we often make quick adjustments,” she said. “We also have a box of masks at our entrance for customers who arrive without one.”
In 2020, when the first wave of the pandemic closed all kinds of businesses for several months, Egelston delayed her reopening until Aug. 10, the 33rd anniversary of the brewery. Even though outdoor dining has always been a part of the restaurant, with two levels of rooftop decks, she still had to retrofit the space for the times.
“We installed plexiglass barriers and socially distanced our tables outside as if we were inside. We are very fortunate to have this outdoor space, but it wasn’t as simple as opening the doors,” she said, adding that all employees are vaccinated. “It’s our policy.”
Janet Egelston says she is “eternally optimistic” despite 18 months of pivoting and persistent staffing challenges.
Since reopening last August, the brewery has operated at a lower capacity, not due to mandates, but because of trouble finding enough staff.
“The core staff who work here are great,” Egelston said, adding that, while there is always some amount of turnover, she hasn’t received many applications in the last several months. “That’s starting to improve, but we’re not yet ready to go to full capacity.”
Workforce Crunch
While the city is in a better place than it was a year ago, Cahillane said, staffing remains a challenge for most businesses.
“When everyone is hiring, it perpetuates the issue further because employers are all looking for the same people,” she noted. “They are also filling positions at every conceivable level, from dishwasher to front of house to store manager.”
Despite the staffing challenges, Jackson said most businesses in Northampton had a great summer. In talking with business owners in the restaurant, retail, and construction sectors, he said many reported success at pre-pandemic levels.
“A caterer I spoke with has 200 events booked through the end of the year,” he said. “One restaurant owner said her numbers are better than they’ve been in a long time.”
Northampton at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1883 Population: 28,483 Area: 35.8 square miles County: Hampshire Residential tax rate: $17.37 Commercial tax rate: $17.37 Median Household Income: $56,999 Median Family Income: $80,179 Type of government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Cooley Dickinson Hospital; ServiceNet Inc.; Smith College; L-3 KEO * Latest information available
‘Summer on Strong’ was a successful effort to close an entire section of Strong Avenue to traffic and turn it into an outdoor dining pavilion shared by a few different eateries. Narkewicz credited local restaurants for suggesting and leading the effort. When ideas like this were proposed, the mayor said the city would “move mountains” to streamline the permitting process to make them happen.
“Northampton is a regional magnet for people who want to come here for entertainment, arts, dining, and the vibe of a walkable city where people like to hang out,” he noted.
The city lost businesses during the pandemic, including Silverscape Designs, which closed at the end of 2020. Despite the optics of that vacancy in the middle of downtown, Cahillane said a mix of new businesses have been opening at an encouraging pace.
“Between Northampton and Florence, we had roughly 18 businesses that left,” she noted. “And nearly 17 new places opened.”
The return of students to Smith College and campuses in the surrounding towns marked a sign of life before the pandemic. Cahillane said the students brought a needed emotional lift. “There has been a noticeable lightening and brightening downtown since the students have come back. Their return is what Northampton usually feels like in the fall.”
The return of events this summer has also provided a boost to Northampton. Cahillane said it’s satisfying to look at a calendar and see events scheduled once again. “The Arts Council held several concerts this summer, we recently started Arts Night Out, and the Jazz Festival is coming back the first weekend in October.”
Jackson is “cautiously optimistic” that momentum from the summer will continue into fall leaf-peeping season. In this area, Indigenous Peoples Weekend marks prime time for leaf peepers.
“One hotelier told me if you don’t book early for that weekend, you won’t find a place to stay,” he said, adding that he’s hopeful activities in November and December will also bring people to the city and surrounding towns.
This fall will be different for Narkewicz, as he will not seek re-election as Northampton’s mayor. Looking back on his 10 years in office, he discussed several areas in which he’s proud of his administration’s achievements, such as improving the fiscal health of the city and being one of the first communities to stand up for the important role immigration plays in the U.S.
“We stand up for equality for all our residents,” he said. “We’ve received high marks for our commitment to LGBTQ folks and have been doing more work around racial equality.”
For the next few months, he hopes to develop a blueprint for the next mayor. “My goal is to provide a map of the immediate needs and available resources, so the next administration can work with stakeholders in the community to make sure we see a strong, equitable recovery to COVID.”
Keep Moving Forward
Among many in Northampton, the consensus is to keep moving forward, but also stay safe.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I am eternally optimistic,” Egelston said. “It’s the only way I’ve been able to be in the restaurant business for so many years.”
Jackson said having events return to the city, sometimes in different forms, went a long way to giving people reasons to come to Northampton. “I won’t say this is a new normal, but it feels right for this moment.”
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber (SRC) will partner with MassHire BizWorks, a division of the MassHire Department of Career Services’ Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, to offer a free educational webinar for businesses. On Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., participants will meet leading authorities and learn how the state’s economic-development programs can be applied to their businesses.
SRC will offer the webinar in collaboration with all chambers throughout Western Mass., including 1Berkshire, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, and West of the River Chamber of Commerce. The webinar will outline the tools and resources that are available through MassHire BizWorks and local chambers of commerce to assist business owners.
Since its inception in 2012, MassHire BizWorks has enhanced and aligned the resources and services available to businesses throughout Massachusetts. BizWorks partners with agencies in workforce development, economic development, and education to help businesses grow and thrive. The BizWorks model offers assistance to employers for every stage of the business cycle. Services are available for business growth, expansion, maintenance, and downsizing.
“In this time of recovery, it’s critical that our business community take advantage of all the resources the Commonwealth has to offer, from job recruitment to hiring incentives; tax credits to workforce training, grants, and money-saving initiatives; and everything in between,” Springfield Regional Chamber President Nancy Creed said. “We’re thrilled to involve our members, along with members from neighboring regional chambers, so they can benefit from several money-saving services that are offered by Massachusetts and free for all businesses. Over the years, thousands of companies have profited, grown, and thrived because of BizWorks’ dedication.”
Ken Messina, of both BizWorks and the Department of Labor’s National Rapid Response Workgroup, will lead the webinar’s presentation. Messina has been with MassHire BizWorks since its inception and has started several initiatives, including the first Regional Rapid Response Summit and the Rapid Response Set Aside Fund program, and he developed the Massachusetts Rapid Response model that ensures consistency is maintained statewide. This model has been recognized nationally and duplicated in many other states. In his 30 years of experience, Messina and his team have served more than 12,000 companies, assisting with closings or layoff events that have affected more than a half-million employees.
To register for the free Oct. 5 webinar, click here.
FLORENCE — Keiter Corp. has donated $10,000 to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a promotion that will allow consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power.
This investment by Keiter, aimed at helping to continue to boost the local economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be supplemented by a $2,500 contribution from the chamber’s Community Revitalization Fund, allowing for 250 of the double-valued, $25 Northampton gift cards to be sold.
Billed as a “Kickstart the Community with a Keiter Card” campaign, the promotion will launch on Thursday, Aug. 12. The $25 Keiter cards will be sold exclusively at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Consumers must mention that they want a Keiter card, and the promotion applies only to $25 Northampton gift-card purchases. (A $50 gift card would not be valued at $100, for instance.) There is a limit of one card per customer, per transaction.
“We care about our community and where we live,” said Scott Keiter, founder and president of the Keiter Corp. “Our families are here. Our business is here. We saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness about our business in a way that benefits the local business community and consumers. We’re trying to reinvest in a different way.
“COVID-19 was not fair,” he added. “Some industries, people, and families were hit significantly harder than others. We see this as a way to help people get back out there and feel better about having a nice meal and spending some time in downtown Northampton. Let’s continue to build the positive energy downtown and support our business community.”
Based in Florence, Keiter has provided general-contracting and construction-management services in the Valley since 2010 for its commercial and residential projects.
Scott Keiter is a member of the chamber’s board of directors and its finance committee, so he is personally aware of the financial hit that local merchants took during the pandemic. Knowing the gift-card program has been successful, he thought an investment focused on it would be a win-win-win for his business, the chamber, and shoppers around the region who have also been hard-hit.
“We see this as a positive way to invest in our community,” he said. “Things are coming back to life. It’s another little piece of the puzzle — another piece of forward movement. We hope this is very successful and triggers a cascade of other organizations getting involved in doing similar things.”
The Northampton Gift Card is currently accepted at 65 restaurants, shops, and other establishments. Additionally, 25 Keiter cards will be given away via an online promotion on the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s website, gazettenet.com.
NORTHAMPTON — Christopher Heights of Northampton, an assisted-living community, recently welcomed Amie Miarecki as its new marketing and admission director.
Miarecki brings nearly 20 years of experience working in the health and human-services field in both Greater Springfield and Greater Boston, providing marketing, community-relations, and development expertise. She will promote the company’s mission by engaging with the community and healthcare partners to help individuals find their next home while maintaining their independence and a dignified quality of life.
“I am enjoying building more relationships in the Northampton area and beyond. It has been very rewarding helping people and their loved ones plan their next step to live with us,” she said. “They have real peace of mind knowing they made the right decision.”
Miarecki holds a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication with a specialization in leadership from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from UMass Amherst. She is the president of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, a board member of the Professional Women’s Chamber, and a committee member for both the civic and community-engagement committee of the Springfield City Library and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce community-engagement committee. In addition, she holds memberships with Hampshire County Young Professionals, the Western Mass. Elder Professionals Assoc., and the Retirement Marketing Directors Assoc. of Western Mass. She is also a past recipient of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty award.
• April 15: April After 5, 5-7 p.m., sponsored by Paciorek Electric at its DiamondBack Properties, LLC Building, 65D Elm St., Hatfield, with food and drink catered by Grill N’ Chill. Enjoy this night of networking with people from across the Valley. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• May 6: May Arrive@5 netWORK, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Look Park, Florence. Sponsored by Greenfield Community College Foundation, Keiter Builders LLC, and Webber & Grinnell Insurance. Our netWORK Arrive@5 series will feature a nonprofit in the Greater Northampton community and invite Arrive@5 guests to participate in a project to benefit that organization. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. To register, visit northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-network-may-6-3809.
• June 3: June Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Greenfield Cooperative Bank, Florence. Networking event. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. To register, visit northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-june-3-3810.
• April 24: Legislative Luncheon – This event will be rescheduled – please stay tuned – hosted by Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield St., Westfield. Mike Dobbs of Reminder Publications will moderate a panel of legislators at our annual Legislative Luncheon. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard on issues or budget items that affect your business or employees. Confirmed panelists include state Reps. Natalie Blais, Aaron Vega, and John Velis; and Westfield Mayor Donald Humason. Invited panelists include state Sen. Adam Hinds and state Reps. Nicholas Boldyga, Smitty Pignatelli, and Lindsay Sabadosa. Cost: $35 for members, $50 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit westfieldbiz.org/events or call (413) 568-1618.
• May 6: Rise & Shine Breakfast, Networking Opportunity, and Educational Program, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Sponsored by United Personnel and MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. Cost: $25 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $35 general admission ($40 at the door).
• May 14: Stars & Strikes Celebrity Bowling Fundraising Competition, 5:30-8 p.m., hosted by MGM TAP Sports Bar, One MGM Way, Springfield. Cost: $20 for members and potential members in advance ($30 at the door). Includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, unlimited bowling, and games.
To register for any chamber event, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.
• May 5: Job Fair 2020 – Local Jobs For Local People, 4-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. The West of the River Chamber will host a local job fair. West Springfield and Agawam businesses, along with other employment opportunities, will be showcased for the public. High-school students, college students, and adults will attend this event looking to begin or advance their careers. This event is free and open to the public. To be a participating vendor, register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• April 16: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Towne Taproom. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• May 2: Fourth annual YPS Adult Field Day, 9 a.m. to noon, hosted by Extra Innings and Train for Life of Chicopee. This throwback to elementary school is built with adults in mind for a team-building competition. Register at www.runreg.com/ypsfieldday. Registration includes participation in activities, after party and lunch from 350 Grill, T-shirt, DJ, prizes, refreshments, and more. Early-bird pricing and sponsorships are available.
• March 4: Driven By Community, 5-7 p.m., a multi-chamber event at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield with the Amherst Area Chamber, East of the River Chamber, Greater Northampton Chamber, West of the River Chamber, Hampshire County Young Professionals, and Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. Sample food, drink, and learn something about area nonprofits. Meet someone new and learn more about businesses in your community. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• March 11: March After 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Pulse Café, Hadley. Our monthly networking event with a focus on healthy living and eating. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• April 2: Margarita Madness, 5-7:30 p.m., hosted by Insterskate 91 at Hampshire Mall. Presented by Steve Lewis Subaru. Mix, mingle, and network at our largest signature event of the year. Enjoy an evening of tasty margaritas and vote for your favorite. Local restaurants will showcase their fare, and dozens of raffles prizes will be donated by Amherst Area Chamber members. Cost: $35 pre-registered, $45 at the door.
• April 15: April After 5, 5-7 p.m., sponsored by Paciorek Electric at its DiamondBack Properties, LLC Building, 65D Elm St., Hatfield, with food and drink catered by Grill N’ Chill. Enjoy this night of networking with people from across the Valley. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1: Her Place at the Table, 7:45-9 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. A five-part series designed to help women increase confidence and build leadership skills to be wildly successful and take their place at the table. Cost for all five sessions: $99 per person for members, $129 for future members. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, noon to 2 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Join us as we salute Greater Easthampton St. Patrick’s Day Committee award winners and enjoy a traditional corned-beef lunch. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for future members. Pre-registration is required; there will be no registrations at the door. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 19: Books & Joe with Moe, 8:30 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. The second meeting of the Chamber Book Club. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 24: Speed Networking Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. We are partnering with the Springfield Regional Chamber for another fun-filled networking event. Kick-start your day and join us for breakfast. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for walk-ins. To register, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.
• March 4: March Arrive @5: Multi Chamber Networking Event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, 295 Burnett Road, Chicopee. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-march-4-3807.
• April 1: April Arrive@5 netWORK, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Smith Vocational School, 80 Locust St., Northampton. Our netWORK Arrive@5 series will feature a nonprofit in the Greater Northampton Community and invite guests to participate in a project to benefit that organization. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-network-april-1-3808.
• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield State University, Scanlon Hall, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Platinum sponsor: Westfield State University; coffee bar sponsor: Westfield Starfires; in-kind sponsor: Flowers by Webster. Join us for our annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast as we honor our 2020 Sons of Erin Colleen, Brigid Mary Moriarty, and her court; Irish Woman of the Year, Beth Burns; Irish Man of the Year, Mark Hanrahan; Parade Marshal, Packie Smith; and Billy Buzzee St. Pat on the Back, Jim Hogan. The guest speaker is Associate Justice Edward McDonough Jr. of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. The chief greeter is Chuck Kelly. Platinum sponsor: Westfield State University; coffee bar sponsor: Westfield Starfires; bronze sponsor: Armbrook Village; in-kind sponsor: Flowers by Webster. Cost: $28 for members, $43 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events or contact the chamber at (413) 568-1618.
• March 23: Block Party, 4-6 p.m. It’s time to rock the block in Southwick. The Block Party is co-hosted by Your CBD Store, 549 College Highway, and New England Chimney Sweeps & Masonry Inc., 535 College Highway. Join us for an open house to meet the hosts and chamber businesses for drinks, appetizers, networking, and more. Chamber members are welcome. Southwick businesses are encouraged to join the chamber by March 23 for 10% off their membership rate. For more information and to register, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618.
• March 6: Outlook 2020 hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. Cost: $60 for members in advance, $80 general admission. Tables of 10 available. Reservation deadline: Feb. 26. No walk-ins will be accepted.
• March 24: Multi-chamber Speed Networking in partnership with the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $30 general admission in advance ($40 at the door).
• April 7: Mayors Forum featuring Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, and others, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Cost: $30 for members in advance ($35 at the door), $40 general admission ($45 at the door).
• April 29: Beacon Hill Summit, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A day at the State House in Boston, hosted by state Sen. James Welch and state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez. An opportunity to spend a day with members of the Baker-Polito administration. Includes lunch and reception. Cost: $180 for members, $225 general admission.
To register for any chamber event, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.
• March 4: Driven by Community, a multi-chamber networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield in Chicopee. Join us as we network with some of the region’s chambers and organizations. Fun, food, and friends. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• March 19: Mayoral Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern & Carriage House, West Springfield. Presenting Sponsor: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Join us for an informative discussion with our mayors, who will update guests on all that is going on in our towns individually and collaboratively. To register or sponsor, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• April 16: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Riverdale Street, West Springfield. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief intro and company overview. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Cost: free for members (plus lunch), $10 for non-members (plus lunch). Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately that day. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• March 19: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Trinity Pub at the Irish Cultural Center. Enjoy free appetizers, a cash bar, and live Irish music. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• April 16: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Towne Taproom. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• March 4: Driven By Community, 5-7 p.m., a multi-chamber event at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield with the Amherst Area Chamber, East of the River Chamber, Greater Northampton Chamber, West of the River Chamber, Hampshire County Young Professionals, and Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. Sample food, drink, and learn something about area nonprofits. Meet someone new and learn more about businesses in your community. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• March 11: March After 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Pulse Café, Hadley. Our monthly networking event with a focus on healthy living and eating. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• April 2: Margarita Madness, 5-7:30 p.m., hosted by Insterskate 91 at Hampshire Mall. Presented by Steve Lewis Subaru. Mix, mingle, and network at our largest signature event of the year. Enjoy an evening of tasty margaritas and vote for your favorite. Local restaurants will showcase their fare, and dozens of raffles prizes will be donated by Amherst Area Chamber members. Cost: $35 pre-registered, $45 at the door.
• April 15: April After 5, 5-7 p.m., sponsored by Paciorek Electric at its DiamondBack Properties, LLC Building, 65D Elm St., Hatfield, with food and drink catered by Grill N’ Chill. Enjoy this night of networking with people from across the Valley. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• Feb. 20: Books & Joe with Moe, 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. This will be the second in a series of four meetings. Join like-minded individuals for an intellectual discussion sparked by reading books. Sponsored by Richard’s Fuel & Heating Co. and Freedom Credit Union. Cost: $99 per person for the entire series. Coffee and a light breakfast will be served. Participants are required to obtain their own copy of the book explored. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• Feb. 25: Networking by Night, 4-6 p.m., hosted by Packard’s, 14 Masonic St., Northampton. We will enjoy a fun-filled evening of building friendships and business relationships, along with food, a cash bar, and networking. Cost: free for members, $25 for future members. Pre-registration is required and closes on Feb. 15. There will be no at-the-door registrations. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1: Her Place at the Table, 7:45-9 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. A five-part series designed to help women increase confidence and build leadership skills to be wildly successful and take their place at the table. Cost for all five sessions: $99 per person for members, $129 for future members. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, noon to 2 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Join us as we salute Greater Easthampton St. Patrick’s Day Committee award winners and enjoy a traditional corned-beef lunch. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for future members. Pre-registration is required; there will be no registrations at the door. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 19: Books & Joe with Moe, 8:30 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. The second meeting of the Chamber Book Club. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.
• March 24: Speed Networking Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. We are partnering with the Springfield Regional Chamber for another fun-filled networking event. Kick-start your day and join us for breakfast. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for walk-ins. To register, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.
• Feb. 25: Nonprofit Resource Roundtable, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Come together with nonprofit professionals for a monthly conversation facilitated by Kristin Elechko of Cascade Consulting. Cost: free. RSVP at www.northamptonchamber.com/chamber-events/workshops.
• March 4: March Arrive @5: Multi Chamber Networking Event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, 295 Burnett Road, Chicopee. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-march-4-3807.
• April 1: April Arrive@5 netWORK, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Smith Vocational School, 80 Locust St., Northampton. Our netWORK Arrive@5 series will feature a nonprofit in the Greater Northampton Community and invite guests to participate in a project to benefit that organization. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-network-april-1-3808.
• March 2: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Tighe & Bond, 53 Southampton Road, Westfield. Join us for coffee with Westfield Mayor Donald Humason. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested so we may give our host a proper head count. For more information and to register, visit westfieldbiz.org/events or call (413) 568-1618.
• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield State University, Scanlon Hall, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Platinum sponsor: Westfield State University; coffee bar sponsor: Westfield Starfires; in-kind sponsor: Flowers by Webster. Join us for our annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast as we honor our 2020 Sons of Erin Colleen and her court, Irishwoman of the Year, Irishman of the Year, and Parade Marshal. Guest speaker is Associate Justice Edward McDonough Jr. of the Massachusetts Appeal Court. Cost: $28 for members, $43 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events or contact the chamber at (413) 568-1618.
• Feb. 20: Third annual Fire & Ice Craft Cocktail Competition, 5:30-8 p.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. Cost: $50 for members in advance ($60 at the door), $60 general admission in advance ($70 at the door).
• Feb. 27: Leadership Institute professional development program kickoff, 1-4:30 p.m., hosted by TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield.
• March 6: Outlook 2020 hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. Cost: $60 for members in advance, $80 general admission. Tables of 10 available. Reservation deadline: Feb. 26. No walk-ins will be accepted.
• March 24: Multi-chamber Speed Networking in partnership with the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $30 general admission in advance ($40 at the door).
• April 7: Mayors Forum featuring Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, and others, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Cost: $30 for members in advance ($35 at the door), $40 general admission ($45 at the door).
• April 29: Beacon Hill Summit, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A day at the State House in Boston, hosted by state Sen. James Welch and state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez. An opportunity to spend a day with members of the Baker-Polito administration. Includes lunch and reception. Cost: $180 for members, $225 general admission.
To register for any chamber event, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.
• Feb. 27: Co-chamber Lunch ‘n’ Learn Seminar: “The State of Small Business in Western Mass.,” 12-1:30 p.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club, West Springfield. Enjoy lunch while learning about changes in small-business laws, minimum wage, PFML, and ways to overcome business challenges in Western Mass. Join us and ERC5 as we learn all there is to know. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].
• March 4: Driven by Community, a multi-chamber networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield in Chicopee. Join us as we network with some of the region’s chambers and organizations. Fun, food, and friends. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• March 19: Mayoral Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern & Carriage House, West Springfield. Presenting Sponsor: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Join us for an informative discussion with our mayors, who will update guests on all that is going on in our towns individually and collaboratively. To register or sponsor, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• April 16: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Riverdale Street, West Springfield. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief intro and company overview. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Cost: free for members (plus lunch), $10 for non-members (plus lunch). Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately that day. Please note, we cannot invoice you for these events. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• Feb. 20: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by BarKaya! Enjoy complimentary, handcrafted appetizers and a cash bar. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• March 19: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Trinity Pub at the Irish Cultural Center. Enjoy complimentary appetizers, a cash bar, and live Irish music. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• April 16: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Towne Taproom. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• May 2: Fourth annual YPS Adult Field Day, 9 a.m. to noon, hosted by Extra Innings and Train for Life of Chicopee. This throwback to elementary school is built with adults in mind for a team-building competition. Register at www.runreg.com/ypsfieldday. Registration includes participation in activities, after party and lunch from 350 Grill, T-shirt, DJ, prizes, refreshments, and more. Early-bird pricing and sponsorships are available.
