Month: June 2005
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties, and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
AGAWAM
P & P Construction Inc., 468 Springfield St., Agawam 01030. Paul Campagna, same. Veteran owned and operated construction corporation.
AMHERST
USCHA Inc., 6 University Dr., Suite 206-148, Amherst 01002. Mark Dennehy, 15 College View Heights, South Hadley 01075. College hockey development camp and tournament.
CHICOPEE
Jenne Group Inc., 16 Yale St., Chicopee 01020. Daniel R. Myers, same. To provide real estate services.
EAST LONGMEADOW
E T Simones Inc., 18 Lombard Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Eric T. Smith, same. To own and operate restaurants.
GRANBY
Granby Golf Center Inc., 172 West State St., Granby 01033. Patrick T. Wright, 14 East St., Easthampton 01013. Golf range, miniature golf, etc.
Northeast General Contractors Inc., 40 Batchelor St., Granby. Patricia O’Flaherty, same. To deal in real estate.
Pleasant Brook Farm & Feed Inc., 84 Pleasant St., Granby. Roger D. Ilnicky, same. Sale of feed grain and related products.
HAMPDEN
KAC Sales of New England Inc., 62 Pondview Dr., Hampden 01036. Kathleen A. Charest, same. To sell police equipment.
HATFIELD
New England Watershed Publications Inc., 8 Elm St., Hatfield 01038. Russell Powell, same. To deal in books, magazines, newspapers, etc.
HOLYOKE
Friends of the Massachusetts Memorial Cemetery at Agawam, Inc., 18 Center St., Holyoke 02040. Delfo Barabani, 98 Irene St., Chicopee 01013. (Nonprofit) To raise funds to build the memorial pathwalk, etc., for said cemetery.
LONGMEADOW
Maritime Smarts Inc., 141 Lawnwood Ave., Longmeadow 01106. Stephen Larivee, same. Maritime education.
LUDLOW
Cady Street Meat Market Inc., 2 Cady St., Ludlow 01056. Jose M. Matias, 38 Dinis Ave., Ludlow 01056. Butcher shop/grocery store.
KLR Transportation Inc., 53 Evergreen Circle, Ludlow 01056. Lisa A. Kalesnik, same. Trucking and transportation.
SOUTHAMPTON
All About Flowers Inc., 10 Susan Dr., Southampton 01073. Jill M. Malo, same. Retail and wholesale sale of flowers.
Aquarius Plumbing & Heating Inc., 14 David St., Southampton 01073. Daniel J. Bishop, Sr., 18 Hathaway Road, Westhampton 01027. Plumbing and heating.
SOUTHWICK
Con-Ash Development Corp., 141 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick 01077. Gerald A. Mongeau, same. To deal in real estate.
SPRINGFIELD
Murnell Inc., 237 Memorial Dr., Springfield 01101. Thomas Englert, 409 Montcalm St., Chicopee 01020. To manufacture and deal in cleaning products.
New Hope Community Health Clinic Inc., 915 Plumtree Road, Springfield 01119. Bev Premo, 555 Parker St., East Longmeadow 01095. (Nonprofit) To provide charitable, medical and educational services to those in need in Springfield, etc.
Northern Rail Services Inc., 25 Knollwood St., Springfield 01104. Jessica R. Mastromatteo, same. To repair railroad tracks.
Ohuhu Development Union Inc., 17 Lancaster St., Springfield 01118. Emmanuel Okonkwo, same. (Nonprofit) Classes for Igpo language, mathematics and sciences; economic development, health services, etc.
Springfield Fuel Inc., 100 Congress St., Springfield 01104. Mohamad H. Jabak, 6 Oak Meadow Lane, Methuen 01844. Gas station.
Springfield Tax Corp., 725 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01108. Jonathan Fein, same. Tax services.
WESTHAMPTON
Bright Spot Therapy Dogs Inc., 282 North Road, Westhampton 01027. Cynthia J. Hinckley, same. (Foreign corp; CT) To design and implement Therapy Dog Programs for needy persons including those in nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
WILBRAHAM
RSM Services Inc., 8 East Colonial Road, Wilbraham 01095. John William Collins, III, same. Sales agency.
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2005. | |
AGAWAM All American Irrigation Systems AV Tech Beaver Camper Service Hair Spectrum Mass USSSA S.G. Exterior Image The Style Cottage Valenti Properties Zippity Co. AMHERST Express Travel Multi-Services Orchard Press SJM Accounting Wagner Farms CHICOPEE Alias Solutions Bourdeau & Sons Flooring Citizens Investment Services Gawron Provision K & K Jewelers Kim-D’s Nails & Tanning Patriot RDC Enterprises Stellar Grounds Care EAST LONGMEADOW Colorful Creations Luigi Landscaping HOLYOKE Alvarado Restaurant Bernie’s Jay’s Auto Repair Luciano Construction MD Beauty Salon & Supply Premier Salons Inc. Shell Food Mart Sportstuff Varaday & Assoc. HADLEY River Valley Electric Stuff-It Storage LONGMEADOW Citizen’s Investment Services JC Realty Consultants Inc. Knowing Cats | Shakespeare’s Garden NORTHAMPTON Birds Store Hair Designers Leeds Mart Quality Care Nursing Skyline Design Valley Properties SOUTH HADLEY Ancientroots JWC Home Improvement RJC Renovations SPRINGFIELD B. Bliss Novelties Clean Sweep Express Funding JD Publicity Studio Reydi Market WEST SPRINGFIELD A.S.H. Enterprises Adam’s Home Improvement Applied Software Technologies B.M.V. (Books, Music, Video Store) Class A Graphics Inc. Crystal Packaging Enterprise 2019 John Bliss Painting Khan Distribution Inc. Law Office of Caroline M. Murray Northern Granite Parish Cupboard Inc. RD.LDN R & R Tax Services Reliable Heating and Air Conditioning Salsa Con Clase Dance Studio Sutton Place Winger Construction Yulian Barber Shop WESTFIELD The Hamptons Salon Lori K’s Kitchen Northend Barber Shop Westfield Yoga Center |
The following building permits were issued during the month of June 2005.
AGAWAM
Oak Ridge Golf Club
850 South Westfield Road
$35,000 — Install antennas
AMHERST
Amherst Realty Co.
36 Main St.
$10,000 — Remodel restaurant
CHICOPEE
Phillips Insurance
97 Center St.
$65,000 — Addition
HOLYOKE
Holyoke River Inc.
920 Main St.
$20,700 — Renovate kitchen
Petco
45 Holyoke St.
$50,000 — Renovate interior
Pyramid Co. of Holyoke
50 Holyoke St.
$111,207 — Renovate Ben & Jerry’s
NORTHAMPTON
The College Church Inc.
58 Pomeroy Ter.
$13,900 — Strip and shingle roof
Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
$2,000,000 – Construct 34,000-square-foot foundation and site utilities
Diane Welter & Alex Ghiselin
70 Masonic St., Unit G2
$20,500 — Convert residential garage to shop space
Laurel Ridge Realty Assoc.
312 Hatfield St.
$80,150 — New roof
Northampton Housing Auth.
155 West St.
$2,171,374 — Construct two-story building
Northampton Housing Auth.
155 West St.
$2,171,374 — Construct two-story building
Raps Real Estate
72 Masonic St.
$32,250 — Interior renovations
Roberts & Dallin Inc.
89 Main St.
$610,000 — Renovations
Smith College
164 Green St. (Tyler House)
$110,000 — Remodel kitchen
196 Elm St.
$18,000 — Renovations
WEST SPRINGFIELD
David Piangerelli
120 Bosworth St.
$30,000 — Renovate commercial building
JS Lane & Sons
1583 Prospect Lane
$50,000 — Add panel antenna
United Bank
44 Van Deene Ave.
$483,755 — Construct bank
WESTFIELD
Wilcox Insurance
75 Bread St.
$550,000 — Second floor
Abramov, Margarita V Alpiarca, Daniel R. Amaker, Shirley A. Anderson-Williams, Tonya Arkoette, Nathaniel E Ashton, Mary Ellen Athas, Paul M. Barre, Paul Isadore Bascom, Barbara A. Batista, Peggy S. Belanger, Gerald Robert Belliveau, Roger R. Belz, Krzyszyof A. Bennett, Mark Bermudez, Joel Bethel, William D. Bienvenue, Marc A. Blakesley, Beatrice D. Bonafini, Michael C. Bostwick, Andrew L. Botfield, Kristina E. Bozyk, Francisca Brady, Thomas J. Brawders, Robert F. Brawsay, Jean E. Briere, Maureen L Brown, Frederick O. Brown, James Waldron Brown, Mindy Lee Brzys, Kathleen M. Burdick, Theresa A. Burgos, Maria Burns, Sarah Byrd, Veronica Caban, Sara Lee Caloon, Amanda L. Cannavino, Jill Cappella, Suzanne M. Carney, Joan Rita Cattallinic, Debra M. Cefaratti, Thomas Michael Champigny, Andre G. Charland, David Michael Cheeks, Future M. Christy, Maria Y. Church, Todd J. Clark, Roberta L. Collins, Michael A. Conner, Kathleen E. Corley, Laura A. Courtney, Shannon L. Crabtree, Laura L. Craig, Diane A. Croak, Arthur W. Cruz, Carmen R. Cruz, Marisol Cruzado, Joanne CS Industries, LLC Daubitz, Richard C. Davila, Edwin Davis, Darrell L. Davis, Gladystean Davis, Mia A. Day, Lisa M. DeCaro, Adele M. DeFilippi, Kathryn I. DeFilippi, William J. DeGiso, Mark Steven Delgado, Virgen M. Delphia, Mary L. Dempsey, Maureen M. Devine, Gladys A. Dietrich, Timothy W. Digloria, Daniel J. Doiron, Charlotte E. Donahue, Beverly Jane Dubuque, Linda L. Durley, Sherryl V. Emond, Theresa R. Fecteau, Anthony J. Felberbaum, Jeffrey M. Feyrer, Edwin Charles Filos, Elvira M. Flores, Roberto Fontaine, Richard R. Fontaine, Gary L. Fredette, Catherine E. Fredette, Therese A. Frigon, Roger M. Frykenberg, Kenneth R. Fueston, James T. | Fullam, Donna M. Garcia, Carlos R. Garcia-Chevrestt, Rafael Gaston, Francisco J. Gavin, Judy Gelinas, Roger A. Gibeau, David J. Gray, Emmaly J. Grenier, Randall D. Griffith, Shirley M Grimaldi, William Grohs, Robbie D. Hadley, Karen M. Hancock, Justin P. Hanks, Kenneth J. Hatzipetro, Donald J. Hayes, John Jacob Heath, Barbara A. Helems, Kristine M. Hendee, Jeffrey Lynn Hernandez, Belen Hindle, Melissa A. Hines, Carla Y. Hines-Johnson, Lydia F. Hoetzl, Eric K. Insero, Domenick A. Jacques, Bernard Andre Jeremiah, Kelvin A. Johnson, Charles E. Johnson, Mitchell L. Keeney, Susanne M. Kent, Margaret Kibbie, Michael Angel Koehler, David W. Kusyk, Richard S. Kwiecien, Mark Allan LaCrosse, Norman D. Lamica, Erica A. Lammers, Bruce E. LaPorte, Michael J. Largay, Michael P. LeBlanc, Debra Ann Lesieur, Joyce M Levreault, Alan J. Long, Darek T. Lopez, Jose R. Luciano, Otaniel T. Luxton, Melissa VanDiver Malo, Jennifer M. Manzi, Anthony J. Marcano, Jesus M. Marsh, Craig M. Martin, Tammy A. Martinez, Maria E. Martins, Nelson Matarazzo, Robert Philip Mazuch, Brenda B McCarthy, Carolyn A. McCarthy, Elizabeth A. McKay, Kevin F. McLain, Jeanne M. McNeill, George W Mead, Edward T. Medeiros, Louise Menard, Jeremy I. Menard, Michael J. Mendez, Rolando Messier, Neal S. Messier, Phillip John Michaels, Dana M. Milledge, Larry Miner, Cynthia M. Minie, Albert George Miranda, Maria M. Montanez, Anita M. Montcalm, James M Moorehead, Monsita J. Moran, Mark J. Moreau, Angela Katherine Morin, Tina M. Morris, Laura Nicole Murphy, Karen M. Myers, Daniel Clayton Myette, Carrie L. Nason, Anita M. Nason, Steven P. Newman, Brenda Lee Nichols, Bryan G. Nicoli, David Donald | Nieves, Luz M. Nihill, Robert J. O’Connor, John L. O’Donnell, Cynthia A Ogilvie-Jeremiah, Alice N. Olavarria, Francisco Padua, Aurea E. Pafford, Jane C Paige, Donald F. Paquin, Edward Armand Parker, Matthew J. Pellegrino, Matthew A. Perham, Bonnie A. Perkins, Mary Anne Perry, Jean A. Person, William L. Pham, Tin M. Pietrzykowski, Antoni Pirro, Steven M. Popp, David C. Poulin, Laurie A. Pouliot, Gary L. Pray, Luz M. Quijano, Betzaida Quinones, Gloria E. Raffa, Mark R. Rainaud, Gary A. Ramos, Carmen M Reed, Therese F. Remaily, Krista A. Retynsky, Victor Rivera, Edwin F. Rivera, Marlenne J. Robillard, Jr., Guy J. Robinson, Darlene T. Rodriguez, Elvis I. Rodriguez, Evelyn Rodriguez, Margarita Rosario, Maria D.C. Rosario, Veronica Rose, Caleb E. Roth, Jaroslav Sanabria, Sammy Sanchez, Victor J. Sandoval, Monique M. Santiago, Crizaida L. Santiago, Rafael Santiago, Virgen D. Santinello, Sharon E. Santini, Reinaldo Sargent, Crystal L. Scanlon, Robert M. Seder, Joan A. Small-Worthy, Elishia Smith, James S. Sorcinelli, Robert R. Sousa, William B. Spear, David E Squire, Dineen G. Szumski, Deborah J. Tallman, Daniel J Taylor, William C. Thomas, Beverley N. Torres, Carmen Lydia Torres, Hector J. Troung, Lam V. Trudeau, Charles A. Uhlig, Timothy D. Valentino, Santino U. Van Der Woude, Robert D. Van Slyke, Amanda C. Vasseur, Carla Venturini, Charlotte Cecile Washington, John H. West, Gerald B. White, Darnelle Whych, Brenton K. Widmer, Debbi A. Williams, Jesse Williams, Patricia C. Winn, Kristin A. Withee, Mark Wood, Michael A Woods, Patricia J. Wruck, Jennifer M. Young, Robert O. Ziter, Michael F. Zograph Corporation, Inc. |
The MassMutual Center is nearing the end of a prolonged construction period and preparing to open its doors for business. The next five years will be focused on polishing and cultivating the center’s business model, and only time will tell how successful Springfield’s newest – and largest – attraction will be.
Jim Rooney, executive director of the Mass. Convention Center Authority (MCCA), says that convention centers are much like restaurants ‚ people often let someone else try out the menu first, and wait to hear the review.
"Does that mean disaster could occur? Yes," he confirmed. "It happens. Just like in a restaurant, one bad review could spread like wildfire."
So as the MassMutual Center readies to begin its first year in business, the MCCA, which oversees its operations, the city of Springfield, and other local entities are focused on doing everything possible to make sure the center’s opening is a raging success.
Sept. 30 will mark the official end of the center’s construction phase, as the faÁade of the Springfield Civic Center gradually gives way to a brand-new, expanded convention center. The changes have created a buzz in the city, anticipation has only grown, and hopes that the building will lead Springfield into a period of growth and prosperity have been firmly pinned on its new white walls.
However, the convention center’s long-term contributions to Springfield remain a matter of speculation. As Rooney’s restaurant comparison suggests, the end of construction merely ushers in the start of another set of important building years, during which the overall health of the region will be as important as the level of traffic flowing in and out of the center’s spacious new entryway.
Rooney said it will be at least five years before the center reaches a level of stability necessary to accurately gauge its success.
"First and foremost, we need to create a balance of strong bookings, strong management, and great publicity. If we don’t start in balance, we won’t finish in balance," he said. "So the next five years are our growth years, focused on letting people know we’re on the map."
That process, Rooney explained, will include creating a buzz about the center both regionally and nationally, achieving an exemplary level of quality service, and ensuring that the performance of the center’s management team and staff remains nationally competitive.
"That’s the first year," he said, noting that several firms have bid for the right to manage operations at the center, and one should be chosen by August. After that work is done, the center will move into an aggressive market-penetration phase with a specific business goal in mind: booking events for 65% of the year: 237 out of 365 days.
Bookings have been brisk for the center, which features several meeting and function rooms, banquet halls, a 40,000-square- foot exhibition hall, and the civic center’s original arena, refurbished with new seats, concession stands, and other amenities. The early reservations suggest that the convention center is indeed moving in a positive direction.
But Rooney cautioned against placing too much emphasis on the center’s ability to kick-start a turn-around in Springfield. He said that, for a city in a fiscal crisis, especially one steeped in controversy and with issues ranging from public corruption to the safety of its streets, there is no silver bullet.
"In and of itself, this convention center is not an economic revitalization plan," he said. "It’s a major contribution, no doubt about it, but there are other things involved in terms of righting this ship. The destination is sold as much as the building is sold."
And there are other concerns, among them the state of the convention industry itself (a recent report indicates that the sector is declining) and the impact of escalating competition from facilities in other area cities, including Hartford’s new Connecticut Convention Center.
There are also questions about the MassMutual Center’s impact on existing banquet and meeting facilities in the area, and whether the center will bring new business to the region or merely take a large share of the existing market.
But Rooney and others closely involved with the project are optimistic that the new convention center will be able to compete on a national level and bring new convention dollars to the area. They’ve taken the risks and the realities into account, and the MCCA, along with the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) and other local organizations have developed a plan that starts with promoting the region and new center as a package, and capitalizes on the building’s size, design, location, accessibility, and the innate desire of many to see the facility ‚ and the city ‚ succeed.
"It takes a lot more than one building to bring a city back to life," Rooney said. "It takes a strong cooperative, strategic effort, and that’s what we have in mind here."
Making Concessions
The MassMutual center project was spawned, like many other projects across the country, by the boom enjoyed by the convention industry in the late ’90s. The health of the industry nationwide initially spurred Massachusetts and other states to evaluate their current convention facilities and make financial commitments for improvement.
Rooney said those commitments represent an economic strategy to cultivate convention business in the state, treating it as a primary economic driver.
"All over the country, people were trying to get into this game and get a piece of the pie," he said. "That included deciding what should happen in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. Funding was made available in all three cases, and a substantial statewide strategic commitment was made to the convention industry."
But Springfield’s convention center project represents more than merely one part of the Commonwealth’s convention industry initiative; the city’s civic center, built in the early ’70s, was in dire need of a facelift even before the state took control of it. Rooney explained that at the same time state leaders made the decision to build new convention facilities, the Springfield Civic Center was falling on its hardest times.
"The civic center was in a serious state of disrepair," he said. "It was controlled by the city at that time, and the city was unable to keep up with what needed to be done."
So, in what Rooney termed a "friendly transaction," management of the property was transferred to the state.
He explained that $52 million was originally earmarked for the Springfield leg of the statewide convention facilities project, but that initially, the MCCA had envisioned a building that required about $80 to $90 million. The Legislature did appropriate more money, bringing the amount up to $66 million, but the convention center still needed to be re-evaluated to fit the budget.
"We set about managing our appetite for improvements and making some engineering tradeoffs ‚ essentially, we down-sized," said Rooney, adding that soon after those adjustments were made, a partnership was formed with MassMutual, which bought the naming rights for the center for $5 million.
"Ultimately, everything came together in 2002," he said. "MassMutual’s purchase of the naming rights brought the project’s budget up to $71 million, and we could work within that number, so the program was in balance."
He added that the downsizing of the MCCA’s initial plans for the center actually helped to underscore how its size could be an asset.
"Architecturally and functionally we are at the right scale for this marketplace," said Rooney. "For the kinds of regional and local events we should be competing for, it’s the right size ‚ we have the advantage of 40,000 square feet of exhibit space without the disadvantage buildings sometimes have when they’re too big. People know what size facility they want when they’re booking events, and they know what types of events fit well."
Meeting Expectations
Mary Kay Wydra, president of the GSCVB, which is working under the auspices of the MCCA to market and sell the convention center, agreed that capitalizing on the center’s existing strengths is a key component of its business plan. But perhaps more important is promoting the entire region as a destination, not merely the location of a brand-new convention center.
"Different groups look for different types of locations," she said. "We’re perfect for a lot of different organizations, and we market directly to them. We’ve bumped up against Hartford a couple of times, but in general they’re looking for larger groups."
She added that an ideal booking is one that necessitates what she called "city-wides" ‚ the need for 500 to 800 hotel rooms or more per night, which requires that multiple hotels are involved and means in theory that a greater impact on area restaurants, stores, and attractions, would be created.
About a dozen events, including five of those citywides, have been booked for the center to date, beginning shortly after opening day, in November, and extending into 2008. These early bookings will account for 23,050 anticipated attendees, 14,000 new overnight hotel stays, and a projected direct spending impact of $3.8 million over the next three years. Wydra said several other bookings are currently pending, adding that the she’s confident the early interest is indicative of the level of success the building will have in years to come.
But that confidence hasn’t negated the need for creative marketing and promotion of the center in the increasingly competitive convention industry. Half of the events currently booked, for instance, were the result of a burgeoning program within the GSCVB called Pioneer Valley Pride, which asks local residents, businesses, and organizations to use their connections with regional and national groups to draw business to the MassMutual Center ‚ essentially, bringing new business home.
"As members of regional or national organizations, local residents can have a positive impact on the economic well-being of the region," said Wydra, adding that Pioneer Valley Pride is just one way that the GSCVB is working to promote the region and its new facility as a package. "A lot of bureaus have similar programs, and they are a great asset if you can make it happen. Since people have been watching this building as it goes up downtown, it’s definitely in the forefront of their minds. I think that’s going to help our program succeed."
Wydra agreed with Rooney that packaging the building along with the region is essential to the process of marketing and selling both, noting that the GSCVB sales staff members actually focus more on the region than the convention center itself when soliciting new convention business. A new logo and marketing plan have recently been put in place for the Pioneer Valley, for instance, and have become some of the primary selling tools for the convention center.
"The pitch is 80% the region and 20% the building at this point," she said. "We highlight easy access to the building, but also other attractions, first class accommodations, and plenty to do."
Russell Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, said the chamber is also working to increase the visibility of the convention center by collaborating with other area chambers to get the word out and to create a cohesive ring of support around the center.
"We’ve coordinated with other chambers to make sure the building and the events within are well publicized," said Denver, adding that, in addition to the chambers’ involvement, every mayor in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties recently signed a letter promising cooperation and collaboration with the convention center, the MCCA, and the GSCVB. He said the action calls attention to the importance of the facility to the Western Mass. community.
"The impact of the building during construction is something that a lot of people overlook," he said. "It has been very positive ‚ a lot of people have been employed by this project, and the local confidence is already there.
"What the long-term impact will be, time will tell," he continued. "But there is a definite spin-off phenomenon expected. What it comes down to is that $71 million has been pumped into Springfield, and that’s outstanding."
Still, Denver, like Rooney, tempered his positive outlook with the knowledge that only after several years will the region know whether the convention center has become a player in the industry, and a boon for Western Mass.
"I have no lofty expectations," he said. "If you create goals and they’re not met, expectations get dampened pretty quickly. The center is just one more tool in the tool box for us."
A Study in Black and White
Rooney said the propensity toward guarded optimism is actually an appropriate response to the approaching start of the MassMutual Center era.
While he and others are hopeful that the center will bring much-needed dollars into Springfield and surrounding communities, the worst-case scenario has been considered: that tough competition will prove to be too high a hurdle, and the center will languish in a tepid sea of bookings, fighting for business not with other convention centers in the country, but instead with other local venues.
"This industry is very competitive," he said. "Any business we get will come at the expense of somebody else, somewhere."
But Rooney was quick to note that stiff competition, though real, is no reason to bow out of the game entirely. He acknowledged that the convention industry of the ’90s, which remained a strong growth sector well into 1999, has slowed in recent years. But he explained the change as proof of an industry that is maturing, not declining.
"Conventions were driven largely by the technology industry," he said. "It has slowed recently, and I’ll admit that demand leveled off. But that’s just American Economics 101; industries mature. This is an $80 billion industry ‚ a big industry. A lot of money is still being spent."
Rooney’s characterization of the convention industry came in response to a controversial study released in January by the Brookings Institution, a research and analysis organization in Washington, D.C. that focuses on economics and metropolitan policy, which questioned the validity of convention centers as economic drivers.
The report, Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic Development Strategy, authored by Heywood Sanders, proposed that while convention business has long been an attractive option for struggling cities hoping to rejuvenate their streets with a steady stream of visitors spending money in hotels, restaurants, and stores, some trends in the industry suggest that the strategy is one that could backfire.
"The overall marketplace is declining in a manner that suggests that a recovery or turnaround is unlikely to yield much increased business for any given community, contrary to repeated ind
stry projections," Sanders wrote, citing advances in communications technology as one reason for decline. "Nonetheless, localities, sometimes with state assistance, have continued a type of arms race with competing cities to host these events, investing massive amounts of capital in new convention center construction and expansion of existing facilities."
Indeed, the MassMutual Center project fits such a description; it is one of 44 new or expanded convention centers currently in construction across the country. Meanwhile, it functions under the direction of the state, and will open for business shortly after nearby Hartford opens the doors of its new convention center, which dwarfs Springfield’s facility.
But Rooney was skeptical of some of the study’s findings.
"Sanders has taken some statistics and tried to create an impression of an industry that is dying," he said. "But there is one way to measure his success as devil’s advocate: there isn’t one convention center in America he’s been able to close yet.
"It’s foolish to suggest that because competition is fierce that we all take our bat and ball and go home," he continued. "Springfield can compete as much as anyone. It will be the execution of well-laid plans that will create new demand."
But in an increasingly competitive field, how real is the potential for in-fighting among the convention center and existing facilities in the area?
It’s a very real fear, said Rooney, and one that has been addressed.
"Our desire is for Greater Springfield to compete and to compete aggressively," Rooney explained. "Jockeying for position locally is a real possibility, but the convention center can’t do that and be competitive ‚ none of the venues in the area can, and it’s not our objective. What we do want is to add value to the region, and in five years, watch all of our boats rise. It comes back to managing Springfield as a destination ‚ it’s going to take a great deal of cooperative effort."
He added that as various meeting facilities compete for business, they also continuously hone their strengths and focus on the niches they best cater to, and that should stave off any major struggles for clients between the center and surrounding facilities such as the Basketball Hall of Fame, Eastern States Exposition Grounds, the Mullins Center in Amherst, and banquet facilities such as the Log Cabin in Holyoke.
Wayne McGarry, president of the Eastern States Exposition, shared Rooney’s positive outlook.
"We lost the Affiliated Chamber’s Market Show to the convention center already, but I certainly understand why," he said, citing the Chamber’s support of Springfield’s newest venture. "The long-term impact of the center remains to be seen, but as far as we are concerned, I’m sure we’ll remain competitive."
McGarry added that overall competition may be minimal because the two venues have different roles and serve different audiences.
"Their focus is conventions, ours is really trade shows because we have wide-open spaces and staging areas," he said. "That’s not to say that there may not be an event some day that we both want. But overall I don’t see us being too competitive with each other. One would have to be optimistic that the new facility will spark interest in the region overall ‚ anything that proves to be good for the overall economy is good for everybody."
And while no specific partnerships have been formalized between the convention center and other facilities in the area, McGarry didn’t rule that out.
"Who’s to say that at some point there might not be an opportunity we could enter into jointly?" he mused. "It’s not out of the realm of possibility."
Wydra agreed that partnerships are an area that could be examined in the future.
"A lot of people like to have their conventions and meetings all in the same place, but hold a dinner or a cocktail party off-site," she said. "Already, the Hall of Fame is generating a lot of interest for things like that. Dual interest is another way that promoting the entire region to add to the strength of the convention center comes into play."
Fear vs. Fortune
Wydra concluded that the GSCVB, MCCA, and others will continue to address and often allay others’ fears regarding the center’s future role in the region. But she said they don’t toss that sentiment around in their own circles.
"Fear doesn’t enter our vocabulary," she said. "Excitement does. This is a first-class property that we have to offer here."
One that they hope will receive a five-star review very soon.
Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties, and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
AGAWAM
Mechanical Plastics Corp., 65 Moylan Lane, Agawam 01001. John M. Murphy, same. Plastics parts manufacturer.
MFK Enterprises Inc., 6 Sycamore Terrace, Agawam 01001. Max F. Kozynoski, same. Embalming and related services to funeral homes.
AMHERST
Amherst Rotary Good Works Fund Inc., 90 Gatehouse Road, Amherst 01002. Leslie Smith, 538 Market Hill Road, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To solicit charitable donations to distribute to worthwhile community causes.
Education Without Borders Inc., Pratt Dormitory, Amherst College, Amherst 01002. Paige Fern, 202 South Dormitory, Amherst College, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit). To advance education and literacy, improve the lives of children in developing countries.
One Northampton Street Enterprises Inc., 7 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst 01002. Valerie Hood, 28 Farmington Road, Amherst 01002. Purchase and management of a business.
BELCHERTOWN
Shelton Brothers Inc., 205 Ware Road, Belchertown 01007. Daniel Wesley Shelton, 5 Pointview Road, Ware 01082. Marketing.
BRIMFIELD
RAD Insurance Holdings Inc.,73 Dunhamtown Palmer Road, Brimfield 01010. Maria N. Thomson, same. (Foreign corp; DE) Insurance agency holding company.
CHICOPEE
Chester Village Market Inc., 29 Albert St., Chicopee 01020. David H. Befford, same. To operate a convenience store.
Dmitriy’s New England Construction Inc., 108 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. Dmitriy Salagornik, 15 New Ludlow Road, Apt. 27, Chicopee 01013. New construction and remodeling.
J.P. Precision Machine Co. Inc., 165 Front St., Chicopee 01028. Zbigniew Szwedo, 69 Crestwood St., Chicopee 01020. Machine manufacturing and design.
Sturbridge Inn Inc., 357 Burnett Road, Chicopee 01020. Kamlesh Patel, 738 Main St., South Portland, ME 04106. Dinesh Patel, 357 Burnett Road, Chicopee 01020, treasurer. To operate and manage real estate.
Swamishri Corp., 1782 Westover Road, Chicopee 01020. Kamlesh C. Patel, 11 Trotters Walk., West Springfield 01089. Convenience store.
W1KK Wireless Association Inc., One Broadcast Center, Chicopee 01013. Robert P. McCormick, 116 Swan Ave., Ludlow 01056. (Nonprofit) To maintain amateur radio facilities for emergency communications and public service, etc.
EAST LONGMEADOW
Criterium Events Inc., 64 Brynmawr Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. Peppino Maruca, 44 Harkness Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. To engage in the management and services of marketing events.
Powday Management Inc., 444A North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. Gregory Z. Szyluk, II, 117 Oakwood Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To deal in real estate.
Quilts & Treasures Inc., 325 Elm St., East Longmeadow 01028. Mrs. Valerie V. Morton, same. Retail sales of sewing and craft materials.
FLORENCE
45 Pine Street Associates Inc., 45 Pine St., Florence 01062. Virginia H. Hoener, same. To own and manage real estate, etc.
Kids Rule Playhouse Inc., 320 Riverside Dr., Florence 01602. Miadelia M. Marcus, same. Themed parties and supplies.
Tibetan Association of Western Massachusetts Inc.,
10 Matthew Dr., Florence 01062. Tashi Dolma, same. (Nonprofit) To preserve the rich cultural heritage of Tibet, practice the guidelines from the Tibetan government in exile headed by His Holiness The Dala Lama, etc.
GRANVILLE
Moore Money Inc., 191 Reagan Road, Granville 01034. Maryadele G. Moore, same. Lease of real estate.
River Hollow Golf Inc., 191 Reagan Road, Granville 01034. Scott A. Moore, same. To operate a golf driving range and miniature golf course.
HADLEY
Steel Structures Detailing Inc., 245 Russell St., Hadley 01035. Henry Lederman, 190 West Pomeroy Lane, Amherst 01002. Steel detailing.
HOLYOKE
J.T.’s Bakery and Caf» Inc., 514 Westfield Road, Holyoke 01040. John C. Taylor, 333 Nottingham St., Springfield 01104. Retail bakery and related sales.
Little Mountain Animal Hospital Inc.,
435 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040. Mark S. Restey, same. To operate a veterinary business.
HOLYOKE
Massachusetts Oncology Services, P.C., 5 Hospital Dr., Holyoke 01040. Daniel E. Dosoretz, M.D., 13221 Ponderosa Way, Fort Myers, FL. 33907; Corporate Service Co., 84 State St., Boston, registered agent. To provide professional radiation therapy services.
Bradford Builders Inc., 9 Harlo Clark Road, Huntington 01050. Bradford J. Moreau, same. Construction of buildings, etc.
INDIAN ORCHARD
DMG Promotions Inc., 250 Verge St., Suite 6 & 7, Indian Orchard 011151. Carmine Costantino, same. Distribution of gifts and novelties.
LUDLOW
Environmental Technologies Inc., 545 West St., Suite C, Ludlow 01056. Ewa Lupa, 2 Blossom Lane, Belchertown 01007. General construction including lead abatement and mold remediation and treatment.
MONSON
Norcross Restaurant Inc., The, 125 Main St., Monson 01057. Rita C. Belanger, 11 Advance St., Bondsville 01009. Restaurant, cafe and catering.
Prospect Lawncare Inc., 55 Reimers Road, Monson 01057. Christopher N. Russell, same. Lawncare and carpentry.
NORTHAMPTON
Extremes Inc., 73 Barrett St., #3103, Northampton 01060. Gulshan K. Arora, same. Software development and consulting, retail business.
McLain Fitness Inc.,141 Damon Road, Unit E, Northampton 01060. Laura McLain, 5 Lyman St., Easthampton 01027. Fitness center.
Pinecrest Acres Realty Corp., 35 Holyoke St., Northampton 01060. John Edwards, same. To develop and sell residential property at North Main St., Petersham, MA.
The Sandinista Barista Inc., 400 South St., Northampton 01060. Timothy J. Carey, same. To construct and operate one or more restaurants and food service establishments.
PALMER
S.M.G. Camp Inc.,
140 Breckenridge St., Palmer 01069. Edward P.
Gadarowski, R.D. #1, Box 232, 106 Kenyon Hill Road, Cambridge, NY 12816. William Mullen, 140 Breckenridge St., Palmer 01069, secretary. (Nonprofit) To maintain a free camping facilities for Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts — in memory of Stephen M. Gadaroswki and his love of scouting and camping.
SOUTH HADLEY
Dry Brook Development Inc., 14 Alvord St., South Hadley 01075. L. Philip Lizotte Jr., 390 Hadley St., South Hadley 01075. Real estate development.
KES Realty Corp., 33 Fairview St., South Hadley 01075. Patrick J. Spring, same. To deal in real estate.
SPRINGFIELD
Cobalt Financial Inc., 155 Maple St., Suite 402, Springfield 01105.
William B. Foster, same. (Foreign corp; DE) To deal in real estate
transactions.
Evinshir Inc., 827 State St., Springfield 01109. Evins C. Brantley, 91 Dunmoreland St., Springfield 01109. To deal in restaurants, inns, taverns, cafes, etc.
Filco Vending Inc.,1111 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01118. Philip A.
Frogameni Jr., same. Sale and lease of vending machines.
Jerry’s Lawn Sprinklers Inc., 307 Gillette Ave., Springfield 01118.
Gerald E. Dansereau, same. To install and maintain lawn sprinklers, etc.
JP&B Concepts Inc., 1334 Liberty St., Springfield 01104. John P. Gent, 26 Ivan St., Springfield 01104. To operate restaurants.
Mass Bottle & Can Redemption Inc., 23 Morgan St., Springfield 01107. Dany Nguyen, 230 Senator St., Springfield 01129. Bottle and can redemption center.
Upper Hill Resident Council Inc., The, 215 Norfolk St., Springfield 01109. Adrienne C. Osborn, same. (Nonprofit) To enhance the quality of life in the Upper Hill community of Springfield.
WESTFIELD
A & G Transport Co., 241 E. Main St., Suite 253, Westfield 01085. Andrey Krasun, 126 Union St., A 8-15, Westfield 01085. Transportation.
All In One Shop Inc., 1144 Southampton Road, Westfield 01085. George Mathew Changathara, same. Convenience store sales.
Mass Consulting Services Inc., 6 Clinton Ave., Westfield 01085. John Turner, same. Geotechnical testing, consulting and construction monitoring.
WILBRAHAM
Neighborhood Deli Inc., 2341 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Ilyas Yanbul, 59 Cedar St., Ludlow 01056. Restaurant business.
Quinn’s Fine Jewelry Inc., 2040 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Brian Alexander Quinn, 12 Kelly Lane, Hampden 01036. Retail jewelry store.
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2005. | |
AGAWAM AJK Landscaping Eddie’s Nitro R/C and Hobbies Proden Ent. of America Poggi Transport St-art Construction Twisty’s Victorian Builders AMHERST Celebrity Beauty Human Rights Action International Simply Sweet Taste of India CHICOPEE Affordable Cleaning Apex Contracting Chicopee Scooters Citizens Investment Services Helen’s Salon Kim Nails Kiss My Glass Designs Ray Ma Towing Rubber Tree Mulch Xtreme Beauty EAST LONGMEADOW Body Tomes Spa 4 C’s Auto Body Statewide Siding & Roofing Inc. HADLEY Magnetic Media Ronkese Financial Valley Vintage Cars HOLYOKE Abercrombe Avenue Clowntique Jim’s Auto MacKenzie & Co. O’Brien’s Auto Ron’s Auto South St. Station Underground Station W. W. Moving Co. LONGMEADOW A.C.I. | Connecticut Valley Weathersby Guild Jimmy’s Remodeling NORTHAMPTON Beyond Builders Guild Art Supply Hair, Etc. Petal of Metal Skinsations That’s The Place SOUTH HADLEY Admark Spanish Advertising Avalon Industries Maximum Nutrition SPRINGFIELD Atlas Mini Mart Black & White Cleaning Da Hip Hop Spot H & M Construction MarDam Signs WEST SPRINGFIELD A G Assembly Services Co. ATC Associates American Home Improvement Ben’s & Viktor’s Tile Work Brazile Gal Cool Runnings Tanning Salon Dynamic Dock & Door Inc. Goffer Construction Kaz’s Kia of West Springfield Northeast Laser Center P.C. Omega PC Pompeii Pizza R & O Construction R & S Package Store Russian Radio Show Dialog Shamrock Associates Trade Mark Construction Yelena Sergeychik MBA Coverall WESTFIELD Eclipse Hair Salon Jenamy Inc. N.E. Landscapes Westfield Equipment Service |
The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2005.
AMHERST
Amherst College Trustees
58 Woodside Ave.
$50,000 — Convert single family dwelling into two-family
Amherst Shopping Center Assoc.
175 University Dr. Big Y
$347,060 — Interior alterations
Jones Properties LTD Partnership
995 North Pleasant St., Bldg. 1
$80,000 — Repair fire damage
CHICOPEE
Falls Machine Screwing Co.
680 Meadow St.
$20,000 — Interior renovations
Rent A Center
185 Exchange St.
$15,000 — Interior renovations
EAST LONGMEADOW
Healthtrax
45 Crane Ave.
$50,000 — Interior remodeling
HOLYOKE
Aquadro & Cerrati Inc.
Texas Road
$5,399,900 — Renovate school
Homestead Grocery
625 Homestead Ave.
$138,000 — Addition
Pyramid Co. of Holyoke
50 Holyoke St.
$13,600 — Remodel store/Clinton Exchange
Pyramid Co. of Holyoke
50 Holyoke St.
$112,000 — Remodel store/Abercrombe & Fitch
NORTHAMPTON
City of Northampton
125 Locust St.
$120,000 — Construct storage shed
Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
$434,000 — Renovate interior basement/ground floor
Kollmorgen Corporation
347 King St.
$54,675 — Relocate women’s room, renovate men’s room
Northampton Housing Authority
155 West St.
$2,171,374 — Construct two story, four-unit building
Northampton Nursing Home Inc.
737 Bridge Road
$220,000 — Install new roof
Pine Street Enterprises
221 Pine St.
$19,300 — New roof
Robert Gougeon
32 Main St.
$111,000 — Renovations to building
Seven Bravo Two LLC
152 Cross Path Road
$70,000 — Upgrade sign structures
Smith College
College Lane
$2,270,000 — Renovate McConnell Hall
Smith College
79 Elm St.
$378,000 — Renovate kitchen area
Smith College
115 Elm St.
$11,770 — Combine two units
WEST SPRINGFIELD
C’Jack Realty Assoc.
1073 Riverdale St.
$300,000 — Erect office building
Green Bear Properties
31-33 Sylvan St.
$175,000 — Renovate space
WESTFIELD
Mercer Island Realty
300 North Elm St.
$285,000 — Addition.
Acevedo, Ana M. Ali, Ahmed H. Atmaca, Eyup Balise, Brian A. Barron, Melissa A. Basile, Francesco Beauchane, George J. Bell, Michael L. Benjamin, Paul M. Benson, Tina Marie Bermudez, Wanda E. Berry, Joy L. Binette, Alan B Bourgault, Rachelle Brosseau, Cynthia H. Canuel-Cole, Pamela A. Castro, Yolanda Centerbar, Amy J. Chenier, Christopher Mikal Church, Karen L. Churchill, Elijah W. Cipriani, Anthony R. Colon, Aurelio Condike, James N. Condon, Kelly A. Contonio, Thomas R. Coolidge, Linda M. Corey, Joseph G. Cosme, Karen J. Cotto, Miriam L. Crutchfield, Lynn A. Cruz, Luz M. Cruz, Willliam A. Cunningham, Daniel A. Curtis, Jody C. Czeremcha, Gloria E. Dal Molin, Mary Ann Dane, Nadine G. Davis, John Wesley Davis, Olga Davis, Robert Eugene Dazelle, Richard H. Deceder, Melissa A. Dejesus, Herminihildo Delgado, David DeMars, Robert A Diamond, Glenn T. DiMaio, Leonilde R. Dreisch, Joseph F. Duby, Shirley Dyer, Michelle J Emet, Candice Ann English, Patricia A. Enko, Linda J. Ferraro, James Alfred Figueroa, Rogelio Foley, Erin B. Foley, John T. Fontaine, Timothy J. Ford, Leigh Durland Galarza, Margarita | Garcia, Luz M. Gaudrault, Gary P. Geraghty, Stephen E. Gerndt, Lorraine Y. Gibbs, Anthony E. Giberson, Angela Gilberti, Susan S. Girard, Martin Giroux, Melissa Ann Goncalves, Miguel F. Gonzalez, Nancy Goodman, Charlene S. Goodwin, Nancy J. Gruska, Jane Oliver Hall, Sheila G. Harper, Margaret L. Heisler-Kaczenski, Heidi Marie Henry, Adelaide D. Hernandez, Jeanette Hersh, Albert W. Hills, Elizabeth Abigail Hosford, Theodore R. Hughes, Raymond G. Ilano-Davis, Olivia S. Irizarry, Antonio J. Jacques, Dennis D. Janicki, Konstanty Johnson, Susan S Jones, Niki M. Joyce, Elizabeth C. Judge, John J. Kane, Randy R. Kegler-Ford, Mary Knott, Terry L. Kobylanski, Walter Kokaram, Edmund L. Kolodziey, Cortney A. Landes, Noreen M Laprade, Michael E. LeDuc, Timothy Lee, Hyoung S Lessard, Scott Emile Lopes, Manuel A. Luntta, Paul A. Lyons, Mary E. Mannix, John J. McCarty, Robert H. McCollum, Stephen McLean, James M. Mendoza, Benjamin Michael, Andri V. Moe, Jana L. Montalvo, Lydia Moore, Kathleen E. Moore, Megan Muniz, Luz C. Nardacci, John J. Newkirk, Marc Stevens Nichols, John Anthony Nieves, Melvin Norman, Elizabeth | Oakley, Deborah S. Ocasio, Miguel E. O’Connor, John J. Orlandi, Charles M. Pacheco, Daisy Pagan, Julia C. Palacio, Edilberto Panlilio, Sylvia D. Patruski, Karen A. Pena, Johanna Perez, Luis A. Perez, Persidian B. Perla, Tracy Ann Picard, Lisa M. Pike, Edward E. Poole, Robert A. Potito, Carla Jean Prado, Pedro J. Ricci, Richard J. Rios, Pablo J. Ritter, Charles A. Rivera, Eladio Rivera, Magaly Robillard, Roche, Diane M. Rodriguez, Carmen M. Rodriguez, Faith A. Rodriguez, Iris I. Rodriguez, Sharon A. Rogers, William I. Roig, Damaris Rolley, Kristine E. Rosario, Damaris Santiago, Rosa N. Savard, Donna M. Seltsam, Jean Elaine Silcox, David J. Skowron, Michael A. Smith, Richard R. Soffen, James R Soule, Jean A. Stone, Rebecca L. Strange, David C. Stuck, Edward Levi Sutter, Jeffrey Svadeba, Joseph D. Sweet, Adam R. Thomas, Kona Thompson, Michael Torres, Juan Truckey, Jacqueline R. Vargas, Damaris Velez, Gilberto J. Venancio, Michael G. Vigo, Quintin Walker, Karen White, Cathy A. Wight, Thomas M. Winter, Annette M. Zimmek, Christopher Johnlee |
They say silence is golden. Not in this case.
Since the abrupt firing of MassMutual chairman, president, and CEO Robert O ’Connell earlier this month, and the subsequent termination of two high-ranking women executives, the company has provided virtually no information on what led to this stunning turn of events.
It has provided only minor hints, through use of the words ’conduct ’ when referring officially to O ’Connell ’s termination. The only reference to the other terminated officials, executive vice president Susan Alfano and senior vice president and co-general counsel Ann Lomelli, was the rather weak comment that the new president and CEO, Stuart Reese, has the right to pick his own people. Right!
Other clues as to the cause of the O ’Connell ’s firing could be garnished from E-mails sent to employees (and published by the local newspaper) that talked about the need for "transparency," "accountability," and a "meritocracy" at the company, and that these traits start at the top. We can assume, then, that these corporate qualities were missing during O ’Connell ’s tenure.
But we shouldn ’t have to make assumptions, and we should have more than vague hints. Why? Because when people don ’t have the answers they tend to come up with their own. Indeed, the information vacuum that has resulted from the company ’s tight-lipped approach has served only to feed an already hungry rumor mill. And this isn ’t good for the community, the company, its employees, and especially its customers who have entrusted their investments to the firm. They deserve better.
But there ’s another reason why MassMutual should be forthcoming: Because it is, after all, MassMutual. It is a Fortune 100 company and now the largest business in the Commonwealth and one of the 10 largest insurance companies in the country. But in the Pioneer Valley, MassMutual is the company that everyone looks to for stability, community involvement, and employment opportunities. We shudder to think of what Springfield and its inventory of office space would be like without the company.
The region deserves to know what ’s happening with this corporate pillar, and it certainly needs to now why three top-level executives were abruptly terminated, with one of them escorted from the premises by security.
To be fair, MassMutual doesn ’t legally have to tell us anything. It is a mutual insurance company, which means it is not publicly held. The business is accountable, strictly speaking, only to its owners — the millions of policy holders around the world. We believe there is a higher accountability, however — to the company ’s employees and to the community at large.
We are told that the company and its various subsidiaries are fiscally healthy and that these terminations will not impact its overall financial health. This is somewhat assuring, although lacking. Also comforting is the fact that the company ’s board looked beyond MassMutual ’s strong bottom-line performance and decreed that ethical conduct unbecoming a CEO would not be tolerated.
Indeed, by firing a popular and, by all accounts, effective CEO in the manner it did, MassMutual sent a strong message to its 4,000 employees about what it expects from everyone and what it won ’t accept from anyone ‚ although it won ’t explain what that is — at any rung of the ladder or salary level.
The importance of MassMutual to this region and the stunning nature of these terminations are reflected in the fact that, for days after the announcement, these events were all anyone could talk about.
Unfortunately, the talk was all about rumors and innuendo. In time (how much time, we don ’t know) the talk will stop and MassMutual — and this region in general — will get on with business. That might have happened sooner, and with more conviction, had the company been forthcoming about its actions and the conduct that led to them.
For now, though, people are left to merely say, ’what ’s going on at MassMutual? ’ Sadly, we don ’t know and the company isn ’t telling.
The Sisters of Providence Health System is in the second year of a five-year strategic plan for philanthropy called "Catch the Spirit." While fund-raising is one of the ultimate goals of the campaign, its initial focus is on building awareness — and what organizers call "lifelong friendships."
They’re calling it a ‘friend-raising’ effort. That’s the term organizers are using to describe the Catch the Spirit campaign being conducted by the Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS). Now in its second year, the program, orchestrated by the system’s fund development department, isn’t raising money — at least not at this stage.
Instead, the initial goal is to raise awareness, said Brenda McCormick, MSW, LICSW, who is vice president of fund development for the system, although she prefers the word philanthropy to describe what she does. McCormick told BusinessWest that the Catch the Spirit campaign was launched to educate the public about the SPHS and thereby also generate support — which can come in a number of ways, from people signing on as volunteers, and perhaps even trustees, to monetary donations down the line.
"At this stage, we’re building relationships," she explained, adding that the Spirit program included one large gathering last fall, called ’Continue the Legacy,’ that was attended by more than 300 people. But the campaign features mostly small (15-20 people) and intimate gatherings designed to inform and inspire attendees — some of whom are already familiar with the system, its history, and its current and future challenges, but many are not — while creating what organizers call a ’dialogue.’
"We want to build life-long friends," said McCormick, noting that the Sisters of Providence who founded and, in many cases, administered the health care facilities in the system, are passing on, and thus the SPHS wants to tell their story now, while also recruiting individuals to carry on their work.
Vincent J. McCorkle, president and CEO of the SPHS, said the Catch the Spirit initiative, part of a five-year strategic plan for philanthropy, was launched primarily as an awareness campaign. It is needed, he said, because there are many things that the public may not know and should know, starting with the Sisters of Providence and their mission.
Many in the community are not aware, for example, that some of the better-known health care facilities in the region, including Mercy Hospital, Brightside, the Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, formerly Providence Hospital, are all part of the broader SPHS system, he explained. Also unknown to many is the fact that many of the programs provided in those facilities — such as behavioral health services and care for the elderly — are essentially losing propositions, from a financial standpoint, and have been discontinued by other health care systems for that reason.
"We’re more than just a business, we’re a ministry," McCorkle told attendees of the May 24 forum. "This is a system that makes decisions not just on sound business models, but against a defined set of values."
McCorkle told BusinessWest that, while the Catch the Spirit campaign was created to allow the system to "tell its story," it has done more than merely inform forum attendees. It has also helped inspire employees, who hear and tell stories about how the sisters’ mission manifests itself today.
"It’s like a shot of adrenaline," he said of the sessions and the human interest stories relayed during them. "It reminds me of why I got into health care to begin with."
BusinessWest looks this month at the Catch the Spirit initiative and its many different goals.
Mission: In Progress
This year’s Catch the Spirit sessions start with an informational video (created earlier this spring) about the system and the sisters who created it. At one point, the narrator states that there are a mere 80 sisters still living.
As he addressed the May 24 gathering, McCorkle updated that figure to 77, and said it falls at the rate of one per month.
The passing on of the sisters, who once were the backbone of the health care system they created, and the desire to tell their story is one of the primary motivations behind the Spirit campaign, said McCormick. But there are many goals behind this strategic initiative she created for the system to take philanthropy into the future and to a higher plane.
"I was here only a short time when I realized that relationship-building wasn’t something that we put much focus on," she said. "In order to have people understand who you are and what you stand for — and to someday have them give support — you have to build relationships with these individuals. That’s what this campaign is all about."
The Catch the Spirit program is modeled, in many respects, after a fund-development strategy championed by Terry Axelrod, a noted expert and author on the subject of philanthropy — her latest title is called, simply, Raising More Money. At the heart of that strategy, said McCormick, is the premise that before individuals will back a cause or organization, they must know about it and become inspired to support it.
The Axelrod model has been used primarily with single entities, she explained, adding that the SPHS is different in that it has a number of interconnected facilities in several area communities. "We’re more complicated; we have a lot of moving parts," said McCormick. "Time and again, people would tell me they didn’t know these various facilities were part of our system — or that there was a system."
To explain all those moving parts, campaign organizers scheduled a series of sessions that would be attended by elected officials, business and civic leaders, and others involved in the community. The inivitation would be shaped by referrals from forum attendees. The individual events — there have been 16 to date, with 12 in 2004 — were designed to be informational, while driving home the point about the compassionate nature of individual programs and the people working within them.
In the campaign’s first year, the dozen conducted sessions featured detailed looks at Brightside for Families and Children in West Springfield and the Sr. Mary Caritas Cancer Treatment Center at the Mercy Medical Center campus in Springfield. This year, the sessions have focused on behavioral health care and services provided to the elderly.
One of the speakers at the May 24 session was Anne Nusbaum, nurse manager at the Farren Care Center, or ’The Farren’ as it’s called. This is a facility she described as the only one of its kind, a last resort for people (usually abandoned by their families) with psychiatric or medical conditions that essentially make them dangerous. To be considered for admission, individuals must first have been rejected by five different nursing homes due to their behavioral patterns.
"Society has essentially rejected these people; this is the end of the line for them," said Nusbaum. "We take them because no one else will accept them."
But the facility does not warehouse these individuals; instead it works to improve their quality of life by helping them interact with others, she explained.
Other speakers included Lisa Golembiewski, manager of outpatient services with Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, who told attendees about the growing problem of substance abuse in the region, and also about the facility’s adolescent behavioral health services, the only program in the state west of Worcester.
Also taking the podium was George Kennedy, director of admissions at St. Luke’s Home in Springfield. As he talked about the facility, which has had a number of functions in its 150-year history, including stints as a birthing center and later a residence for the elderly, Kennedy displayed a painting of the home. A magnified image of the work revealed several Sisters of Providence taking a break, as he put it, on the home’s roof.
Those invited to the informational sessions are asked for input on what they’ve seen and heard, said McCormick, and also for the names of other area individuals to be invited to future programs. When the first phase of the campaign, the informational component, is completed, the system will move on to what she termed a "call to action."
This will come in the form of invitations to participate on a number of levels, she said, noting that the system will need everything from volunteers to serve within the system’s various facilities to trustees for the boards that administer them.
"There are endless roles for individuals who would like to spend some time with us in a volunteer capacity," she said, adding that, as more people become aware of the system’s programs and then become involved with them, philanthropic giving is a natural next step.
When asked how the system will measure the success of the program. McCormick said there will be several different yardsticks, starting with the number of individuals who agree to take an active role in continuing the legacy of the Sisters of Providence. Monetary support will obviously be another measure, she said, adding that the ultimate indicator will be the number of lasting relationships that are created — something that won’t be known for some time.
McCorkle agreed, but said that, in his mind, the campaign has already been successful, because of its dialogue-generating capabilities and the energy it is creating both within the system and outside it.
"This has re-energized me and many other people here," he said. "When you see the way people react to the stories being told, and when you see the pride displayed by our staff, you know that this is having a very positive impact."
When the Spirit Moves You
As she talked about the Catch the Spirit program and the individual informational sessions, McCormick compared them to inviting a guest to your home for the first time.
"That’s how relationships get started and how friends are made — you start with introductions and getting to know each other," she explained.
The SPHS wants to build some life-long friendships, and is starting by building awareness of the system, its mission, and its many challenges moving forward.
Only time will tell if the campaign and its various components are successful, but McCormick believes that by first focusing on friend-raising, the system will succeed in prompting many within the community to catch the spirit.
George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]
A mill town once driven by the steady hum of factory work is now creating a different kind of buzz in Western Mass.; Easthampton is being seen as the region’s most promising community for artists of all types, and it’s the artists themselves, and the support of the city, that are making that happen.
Eric Snyder, president of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Com-merce, said the best thing about the city’s recent turnaround is that it is tangible.
"Anyone who drives through can see what’s happening here," said Snyder, adding that the proof can be as large as a former mill now bustling with activity — everything from diners eating lunch at the Apollo Grill to people renewing their driver’s licenses at the local RMV office — or as small as an artful clay pot, a set of hand-crafted wind chimes, or a child practicing her violin on the front lawn.
The arts, in all forms, have become the primary economic driver pushing the city of Easthampton forward in recent years, transforming the former mill town into a haven for arts, entertainment, and culture, and revitalizing the city’s overall economic picture in the process.
"There has been a lot of talk about a renaissance in Easthampton," Snyder said. "The arts and crafts community definitely plays a big part in that. There are more people coming into the town because of the arts, and the artists are really marketing themselves, and that’s good for them and for the town."
Although many artists have resided in Easthampton for years, only recently have formal partnerships been forged between groups of artists, and, perhaps more notably, between those artists and city government, the Chamber, and other businesses.
Most artists work out of studio space located in one of three former mill buildings Eastworks, the Paragon building, and One Cottage Street once the hub of Easthampton’s economy and now becoming so again, though in a much different way.
Now, the buildings house potters, painters, jewelers, sculptors, and many other artists working in all types of media. They arrived to take advantage of large studio space, a convenient location, and attractive lease rates, and have since created a creative community unto themselves.
In addition, other businesses are also capitalizing on those low rents as well as the climate created by those artists, especially in the past year. Among them are restaurants like the Apollo Grill in the Eastworks building and Tucson and Savannah’s at One Cottage Street, niche businesses like Valley Women’s Martial Arts Inc. and In Touch Massage Therapy, and a Registry of Motor Vehicles branch office. Those businesses are not only benefiting from the location, but adding to the artists’ visibility, too; that has in turn provided for greater recognition of Easthampton in Western Mass., which is beginning to regard the city as the region’s next great cultural mecca.
"The word is getting out," said Lynn Latimer, an artist who works in fused glass out of the Cottage Street building. "We have a very large community of people who are enormously talented, but it’s recently that we feel a more solid sense of our arts community and the ways it benefits the whole city."
Canvassing the Area
One way the word is getting out is through the marketing efforts of Arts Easthampton, a collaborative organization of artists. The group began informally with a handful of artists in the One Cottage Street mill building, but has since expanded, especially in the last four years following the addition of the ’Arts Easthampton’ name and logo. The collective now includes artists working in the Eastworks and Paragon buildings, individual artists, businesses, and galleries and schools, such as the Guild Studio School, and the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton. The city’s own arts council is also very involved.
"It has only been in the last four years that we have all really started getting together," said Evelyn Snyder, owner of Kaleidoscope Pottery in the One Cottage Street building. Snyder explained that Arts Easthampton has gradually grown over the years. Two annual sales are still held now accommodating thousands of visitors to all three mill buildings and a smattering of individual studios, businesses, restaurants, and other venues but Arts Easthampton is becoming much more of a brand than a catchy name for an art show.
"We adhere to a mission statement and to strong rules of governance," said Justin Brown, an artist in the Eastworks building. "We make a real effort to meet and get groundwork laid down about five months before any event, and then we meet as needed until the date of the show. It’s only getting busier for us now."
Brown added that Arts Easthampton also created a common ground for a varied group of artists some production artists, completing large orders of their craft for customers, and others creating smaller quantities or single originals of work for sale. Brown is just such an artist, filling his studio with elaborate, personalized wall-hangings and sculptures. Snyder, although her work is no less unique, produces thousands of handmade plates, bowls, platters, and other items in her pottery studio. She agreed with Brown that Arts Easthampton created a bridge between all types of artists with different work, but common goals for success.
"It only made sense to pull all of the pieces together," Snyder said. "There was already some momentum that we could capitalize on; we had thousands of names on our mailing list, but now that has doubled, and we notice that there are definitely more people aware of and coming to our shows."
The visual arts aren’t the only artistic component of the city, however. Elizabeth Caine, president of the board for Pioneer Valley Summer Theater, located in Easthampton, said she too has noticed audiences increasing steadily over the theater’s three years in existence.
"What’s nice about Easthampton is that it is a city that’s actively looking for economic growth," said Caine. "We get great support, and in turn, our companies support the local economy by shopping, dining, and so on. In the long run, the relationship will make a huge difference in the community because of that mutual support."
And in response to that mounting success, the city has taken a broad interest in cultivating Easthampton’s arts community as an economic tool. It has secured grants for artistic programming and the improvement thereof, and fostering communication and further development of citywide initiatives either spotlighting or merely including the arts community, which includes a wide range of visual artists, musicians, writers, actors, and others working in cultural fields, often in conjunction with Arts Easthampton.
Ellen Koteen, grants coordinator for the city, explained that the first such grant was the John and Abigail Adams Grant, awarded to Easthampton by the Mass. Cultural Council in the amount of $12,500, which, as a condition of the grant, required the city to produce matching funds.
"We wanted to establish a formal arts and economic agenda, and the John and Abigail Adams grant was the first activity with that in mind," Koteen said, noting that the funds will be used to establish a new Web site for Arts Easthampton and to create a brochure and directory of the arts scene in the city.
She added that the matching component of the grant did more than add to the amount of funds available to the cultivation of arts programming — it also underscored the increasing faith the community has in its arts sector.
"The funds came through in February, requiring us to immediately search for funds for that one-to-one match," said Koteen. "We asked businesses to commit money and, in a short period of time, local companies kicked in almost $12,000. It demonstrated to the artists that the city recognizes their contribution, and there is a commitment to work with them."
Eric Snyder added that the arts also create a unique economic driver for the city, which he thinks Easthampton is ready to embrace. As most arts-based businesses are small, even consisting of just one or two people, there are dozens of independent businesses peppered across Easthampton, and that creates a different economic climate than a manufacturing plant or large retailer that could set up shop in the city and offer jobs to 100 or 200 people at once.
He noted that the city, once dominated by manufacturing, still has a few mainstays in the manufacturing sector among them Tubed Products, National Nonwovens, The October Company, and Stevens Urethane, which together employ about 1,200 people. The Williston Northampton School and Easthampton Public Schools round out the city’s major employers, adding another 500 employees to the tally. Viably, expansion of the manufacturing sector could benefit the town economically, and the city could have easily chosen to focus on that aspect if its financial picture, given its rich history.
But Snyder said the arts community has already proven in the last three to four years that its impact is just as important to Easthampton’s revitalization as any one employer could be.
"The chamber is open to this type of economic development," he said. "It is slower than the economic impact that could be generated by a large company, but the arts community has made our city much more rounded.
"It’s all about quality of life," he added. "Now, we still have our small town flavor, but we are also developing a metropolitan feel that is encouraging."
Artistic Integrity
The city has also planned ’visioning sessions,’ one in September of last year and the second just this month, designed to provide a platform for the city’s artists, government, business leaders, and other concerned citizens, specifically on the topic of cultivating and expanding artistic endeavors in Easthampton.
"It also studies the specific impact of the arts on the town," said Koteen, adding that part of that commitment the city has made includes hearing and addressing the concerns of the city’s artists.
"We have signed on to address the needs they have identified and how to best capitalize on and enhance their role in the city’s development," she said.
The need that is of the greatest concern to Easthampton’s artists is that of retaining affordable studio space. It’s a trait of many artists of all kinds that they will move to a community where affordable space can accommodate their work, contribute to diverse, healthy commerce in the area, and eventually be priced out of the studios for which they helped create a demand.
"The artists talk all the time of moving into affordable space, revitalizing the community, and getting priced out and moving on to a new, developing community," said Koteen, theorizing that Easthampton’s rapid improvement due to the art-based businesses is calling added attention to the nomadic nature of many full-time artisans, musicians, actors, and others working in cultural fields. "We have three old mills filled with artists. So far, the space is still affordable, and yet it takes years for a community to address such an issue, and then to implement whatever changes they see fit, so it’s definitely a concern."
Evelyn Snyder agreed. "It is a worry," she said. "But there is still more opportunity here for artists than in Northampton, which doesn’t have very many big, empty buildings, and that’s what brought us here, in addition to the low rent."
What is driving the Easthampton arts scene forward now is not just affordable workspace, though, she said; it’s the partnerships that have evolved between the artists in the community and local businesses, city government, and residents at large that are creating a sort of staying power, which is also unique within the world of art and artisans.
"All of us are excited about educating the public on the fact that you can make money as an artist," said Snyder, "and it’s nice to be in a strong group situation. It helps us to see the trends within the art world and to capitalize on good times and get through bad times."
Latimer added that getting a lot of different artists together on a project of this magnitude is no easy feat.
"It’s a bit like herding cats," she joked. "But this revitalization has come out of a lot of people pulling together in a grassroots sort of movement, and we’re seeing positive results that keep us going. The added notoriety of Easthampton as a thriving arts community is ultimately helping our businesses, and the added attention is making the city happy overall."
Brown said as the arts scene grows in the city, another challenge is how to best capitalize on the increased traffic, and the partnerships with the city’s government are helping to guide that process as well.
"The city has some great ideas and they’re getting more involved," he said. "They know why Easthampton is getting busier; now to keep it that way they’re helping us with the how."
Creating a Masterpiece
The annual Open Studio Sale held earlier this month by Arts Easthampton marked the city’s busiest weekend of the year, rivaled only by the Holiday Sale held in December. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, artists were busy wrapping pieces, businesses held sidewalk sales to capitalize on the traffic, and there was a bit of a wait for a table at the Apollo Grill. But Latimer said the signs of a community rising from the ashes are not best gauged on a busy weekend, but rather on the quieter days, when even then there is a marked change in the city.
"There’s definitely more life out there on the streets," she said.
Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]