Year: 2008
Boston Wine Festival
January 10-April 3: Hosted by the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, the Boston Wine Festival offers more than 50 wine and food pairing events. The schedule of events includes a variety of evening receptions, wine seminars, dinners, and themed Sunday brunches. For details on the festival, visit www.bostonwinefesival.net.
Long-term Planning Seminar
January 13: As part of a joint effort to educate the public about the importance of long-term care planning and insurance and the role it can play in helping to finance assisted living, Rockridge Retirement Community on Coles Meadow Road in Northampton will host an informational seminar to increase long-term care insurance awareness. Richard A. Eisenberg of Eisenberg Associates Insurance Agency Inc. will present the 4 p.m. seminar, which will discuss the long-term care planning process, long-term care insurance, and assisted living. The seminar is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required by calling (413) 586-2902, ext. 23.
New Year’s Gala
Dec. 31: The inaugural Young Professional Society (YPS) of Greater Springfield New Year’s Eve Gala on Dec. 31 at the Sheraton Springfield is nearly sold out. Interested parties, of any age, are invited to grab the last spots as YPS celebrates New Year — New Time: Springfield Shines In ’09. The theme of the YPS New Year’s Eve event is a celebration of not only the new year, but pride in the city of Springfield. Presented by NUVO Bank and supported by Williams Distributing and BusinessWest, the event is offering only 300 tickets; prices are $59 for one ticket, $109 for two tickets, and $209 per couple with overnight accommodations (plus additional room tax and fees) at the Sheraton Springfield. Final tickets are on sale at www.springfieldyps.com. The evening includes three different party rooms with a live band, Decades by Dezyne, and a DJ, with all guests receiving a ‘goodie bag’ with a number of offerings from sponsors. The night will also offer gourmet dinner stations, a dessert station, and a champagne toast after the ball has dropped at midnight. In addition, a continental breakfast will be served after midnight. Interested parties may go directly to www.springfieldyps.com to purchase tickets. Guests do not have to be YPS members to attend. Opportunities to sponsor this event are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Any company interested in reaching young professionals, call Jill Monson at (413) 219-9692 or E-mail [email protected].
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
AGAWAM LRG Financial Inc., 430 Main St., Agawam 01001. David I. Arriagas, 610 Dickinson St., Springfield 01108. Financial services and counsel. Reliance Laser Inc., 630 Silver St., unit 4A, Agawam 01001. Joseph L. Lovetti, 35 Speer Farm Road, Feeding Hills 01030 To engage in welding and cutting of small medical components for the medical industry. AMHERST Amherst Mission Church, 23 Woodlot Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Byung H. Kim, same. To reach out and spread the gospel to people who do not believe Jesus is Christ. Electromaterials Inc., 23 Wildwood Lane, Amherst 01002. Jing Wang, same. BELCHERTOWN Breakaway Retail Enterprises Inc., 315 Springfield Road, Belchertown 01007. CHICOPEE Atmy Corp., 810 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013 Muhammad Yasin, 1 Colonial Ave., Barrington, R.I. 02806. To conduct retail convenience store. EAST LONGMEADOW Artistic Dance Conservatory Corp., 357 Shaker Road East Longmeadow 01028. FLORENCE Omniwatt Energy Inc., 33 High Meadow Road, Florence 01062. Paul Vesel, same. To develop, acquire, manage, restructure, own, sell, broker, and otherwise commercially deal in and with power supply stations and facilities. GRANBY Manav Petroleum Inc., 30 West State St., Granby 01033. Ketki Vakil, 93 East Bay Ave., Manhawkin, N.J. 08050. To operate and manage a gas station and convenience store. HOLYOKE John D. Dinapoli Charitable Organization Inc., 138 Appleton St., Holyoke 01040 Gary Wagner, 17 Holly Meadow Road, Holyoke 01040. To provide scholarships to individuals and grants to other not-for-profit organizations in Holyoke and the surrounding communities. | LUDLOW AJE Financial Corporation, 364 East St., Ludlow 01056. Robin Lee Wdowiak, 72 Norwich Road, Ludlow 01056. To own, operate, and carry on a financial service office. PALMER Neeco Inc., 15 Third St., Palmer 01069. Gary Como, 34 Bragg Dr., Warren 01083. Equipment sales and repairs. SOUTHWICK Guo’s New King Yen Too Restaurant Inc., 648 College Highway, Southwick 01077. SPRINGFIELD Big T’S Towing and Recovery Inc., 45 Claremont St., Springfield, MA 01108. Traleck Dickson, 132 Fort Pleasant Ave. Springfield, MA 01108. To teach students how to handle hook ups and towing and the safety that needs to be involved with towing CBA Charlton Housing Inc., 322 Main Street, C/O Hap Inc., Springfield 01105. Dartmouth Street Marketing Inc., 95 Dartmouth St. Springfield 01109. Marilyn B. Feldman, same. Engage in E-commerce. Devine Trucking Inc., 20 Oakdale St., Springfield 01104. Michael D. Devine, 23 Valley Road, Sturbridge 01566. Trucking and warehousing service. Hickson Law Group P.C., 51 Taylor St., Springfield 01103. Joseph M. Hickson, III, same. Law practice. WESTFIELD Momentum Properties Inc., 1817 East Mountain Road, Westfield 01085. Heather Grincavitch, same. To acquire equity thru property and rehab, rent manage, and other processing. |
Steps Taken Now Can Lighten Your Tax Burden Later
While year-end tax planning is always and in all ways important, it is especially crucial in 2008. The time is now to apply new tax rules to secure your best tax advantages for this year and beyond.
This is a very challenging time for individuals and businesses, a climate that demands that each of us takes a look at year-end tax planning, regardless of the level of our income, with an eye toward reducing our tax burden down the road. One or more of the following unprecedented events likely had an impact on you during 2008 and potentially for a number of years going forward: the stock-market collapse, the credit crisis, the recession, the bursting of the real-estate bubble, and/or the rise and fall of energy prices.
What follows is a primer that will identify some of the ways in which you can take the lemons that may have been hurled at you and turn as many of them as possible into lemonade.
Income and Deductions Shifting
Usually the most efficient planning opportunities will grow out of the time-tested strategy of maneuvering your income and/or expenses between tax years. The two primary benefits that grow out of the opportunities for doing this are the ability to control the tax rate at which you will be assessed and the ability to control when those taxes will be paid.
If you are in a position to control the timing and flow of income into your possession, it presents an opportunity for you to contemplate whether you are going to be in a higher marginal income tax bracket in the current tax year or the one to come. When you compare these tax brackets, you will then have the opportunity to determine in which year that income might generate the lower tax.
The corollary to the moving of income is the timing of the payment of your deductible expenses. Combining the two presents an opportunity to generate a larger tax benefit by making those swings of taxable dollars more substantial. For example, if you are able to put off $10,000 of income into the next tax year and can accelerate $5,000 of deductible expenses into the current tax year, you will effect a $15,000 swing in your reportable income, impacting your applicable tax bracket and potentially postponing the due date for those taxes by up to 15 months.
This particular strategy can be even more valuable in light of changes in the tax laws that have been made and those that experts anticipate coming down the pike. The importance of contemplating this strategy is significant for the tax years 2008 through 2010, inclusive, when you consider that those taxpayers who are in or can put themselves in the 10% or 15% tax brackets will potentially be able to take advantage of the 0% tax rate currently applicable to qualified dividend income and/or capital gains during those years.
A more challenging situation presents itself to those whose income is above the $200,000 to $250,000 threshold identified by President-elect Obama. Although it remains unclear when the tax increase on those taxpayers will actually go into effect, the question here, for those who can anticipate remaining at those income levels during the next few years, is whether to accelerate income into 2008 in order to potentially have it taxed at the lower brackets. This same group of taxpayers should also contemplate this issue while bearing in mind the president-elects proposal to restore the limitations on the amount that can be claimed for either personal exemptions and/or itemized deductions.
Bunching Deductions
The next concept impacted by the timing of payments is for those that qualify as itemized deductions, and is generally referred to as bunching. The strategy of bunching deductions involves consideration of the timing of your various expenditures and/or deductions, including real-estate and excise taxes, state income taxes, charitable contributions, certain interest payments, medical expenses, and the like. The underlying concept of this strategy is that your itemized deductions are typically compared against a standard deduction that varies depending on your marital status and your age.
In some instances your itemized deductions may only be exceeding the otherwise available standard deduction by a small amount. In this case, a beneficial strategy might be to postpone some of those deductions until the next tax year and accelerate similar expenses from the following year. This will bunch all of your deductions into the middle of three years and create an amount that will substantially exceed the otherwise available standard deduction, potentially giving you better tax results over all three years.
This calculation needs to be considered in the context of the new tax provision enacted as part of the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008, which allows homeowners to claim an additional standard deduction for real property tax if the taxpayer does not itemize. The additional amount is limited to $500, or $1,000 for joint filers.
This bunching strategy also has applications in the context of higher earners who will have a reduction in their otherwise-available itemized deductions simply by virtue of their income level. Specific examples of this application include the fact that medical expenses are deductible only to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of ones adjusted gross income; and miscellaneous itemized deductions, including the fee that you pay to your tax professional, employee business expenses, and the like, are subject to a 2% threshold.
It is possible that some taxpayers will find that they are able to benefit from higher amounts of itemized deductions by applying this strategy of bunching.
Loss Harvesting
Historically, the end of the year has been the time to take a look at your investments and see where you stand relative to capital gains realized during the course of the year. It was always prudent to look at your portfolio to determine which positions you held that might generate a loss, so that you could either match your gains to your losses and/or exceed your gains by an amount of up to $3,000. That is the amount that would be available as a deduction on your income-tax return to offset other ordinary income.
While there are sound tax reasons for considering this strategy, it is also important to remember that you need to consider the underlying investment wisdom and considerations associated with your having purchased the investment in the first place.
However, beyond that historical strategy, there is a very important planning opportunity that this years stock-market collapse has presented relative to what is known as loss harvesting. The application of the loss-harvesting concept this year extends more to the concept of stockpiling losses to be used in subsequent years, for several reasons, including the possibility of more short-term transactions or the prospect for capital-gains tax rates being increased.
The application of this strategy would be to sell those mutual funds, stocks, and/or bonds that are now in loss situations in order to realize the capital losses.
Assuming further that you do not wish to be out of the market altogether and would prefer not to be out of the market for any period of time during which a rebound might occur, the critical component of this strategy is to move the proceeds into comparable funds or investments in a way that will avoid the application of the wash sale rule. Here, the IRS does not allow you to sell a stock or investment simply to generate a tax loss. For that reason you are not allowed to take a tax loss on an investment if you sell and repurchase the same within 30 days, before or after the sale.
If this strategy is being implemented with mutual funds, you could find a comparable fund within the same mutual-fund family and thereby avoid sales charges. For example, if you had invested in the Vanguard fund based on the S&P 500 and you sold it and moved the proceeds into the Fidelity S&P 500 fund, the underlying investments would be substantially identical, and the wash sale rule would apply. But if you are able to select mutual funds that are comparable but not substantially identical, then you should be able to recognize the capital losses.
If the underlying investments are stocks or bonds, you must bear the wash sale rule in mind and avoid its application by not investing in substantially identical securities. There are, however, strategies beyond the scope of this article that are available to allow you to get back into the identical security without being adversely affected by the rule. Another important component of this loss-harvesting strategy is the fact that the capital losses may be carried forward indefinitely.
The concepts and theories set forth here represent only a few of the tax-planning opportunities that are available. It is imperative for you to remember that, in all but a very few instances, those opportunities for the calendar year 2008 will expire at the stroke of midnight, New Years Eve. It is important that you contact your tax professional in order to see which of these and the others might be applicable to helping you be the most efficient taxpayer you can be.v
Bruce M. Fogel is a partner with Bacon Wilson, P.C. / Morse & Sacks in Northampton. He is a member of the firms estate-planning, elder, real estate, and business departments. He has extensive experience in matters relating to income, gift, and estate taxes, and he focuses on the tax implications of all legal transactions. He can also be heard on the radio show,Taxes and Assets, which he co-hosts Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m. on WHMP; (413) 584-1287;[email protected];bwlaw.blogs.com/estate_planning_bits
Navigating and Advocating for Families with Special-needs Children
It is difficult enough for parents and family to ensure their child is receiving an appropriate education in todays education model without the added difficulty of navigating the often-barely chartered waters of special education. Parents of mainstream children must advocate and stay involved in the day-to-day schooling activities in order to obtain the best education available to their children. This can be daunting without the emotional stress of dealing with the challenges of our children, a system filled with acronyms, and a process and procedure that can be confusing on a good day.
Navigating the waters of special education can be made easier by a basic understanding of the rights, rules, and regulations that govern the school districts when deciding if a student is eligible for special education and, if so, what services that student will receive.
School districts are subject to state and federal laws that provide detailed procedures to ensure that a student receives a FAPE (free appropriate public education) during the entire time he or she is eligible for special education. Because special education is such a highly complex and regulated area of the law, it is in the parents best interest to seek assistance to understand the special-education process. The more informed and well-advised the parent, the more they can make of the opportunity to be a part of the design and development of their childs educational experience.
The idea that you, the parent or person with custody of the child, will work in partnership with the school district is essential to the process of providing a FAPE for that child. In doing so, you will be a member of the IEP (individualized education plan) team for the student, which is charged with the development of an IEP. Both state and federal laws provide that the IEP be tailored to the students unique needs to provide sufficient services to enable the student to make meaningful educational progress and to assist the student in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, including social and emotional development based on appropriate chronological and developmental expectations.
Services to be provided to the student will be at no cost or expense to the family as part of the public-education program. It is also required that students in private schools at private cost are entitled to a FAPE if they want to take advantage of public educational services.
In order to determine eligibility for special services, the student is referred for an evaluation. Parental consent is required before the school can evaluate or test a child. However, the school can review existing data, give your student a test or other evaluation that is given to all students (i.e. MCAS or classroom tests) that are part of the general education program, or share information with federal or state educational officials without parental consent.
Such parental consent is required before your school district can provide special-education and related services to your student for the first time; to make a change in services, placement, or reevaluation; or to excuse members of the IEP team from attending a team meeting.
As the students advocate, you will be entitled to prior written notice from the school district when it proposes or refuses to take steps to identify your student as one with a special need, to evaluate your student, to provide special services to your student, or to change your students program. This is called prior written notice by federal regulation, and the notice must state:
What the school district proposes or refuses to do;
Why the school district proposes or refuses to take the action; and
How the school district came to this decision, including information about each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report that was considered.
It must also describe any other options the IEP team considered and why those options were rejected.
Let the advocating begin. You have the right to request an IEE (independent education evaluation) from an independent, qualified examiner at public expense, provided you meet financial-eligibility requirements, or at your own cost at any time. This IEE must be considered in 10 days by the IEP team to determine if any changes should be made.
If disagreements about the IEP continue, the law provides for several methods of attempting to resolve the dispute. Initially, parents can bring the dispute to the attention of local public-school officials, and then, if still unresolved, they can use the services of the ESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) Problem Resolution System. Mediation is another often successful option, and ultimately, if a hearing with testimony and witnesses is necessary, a due-process hearing through the BSEA (Board of Special Education Appeals) can be convened.
At all times in this education planning process, the assistance of an advocate, attorney, or other qualified professional is recommended. The laws regulating special education are very complex and can be easily misinterpreted or not properly followed procedurally. In order to ensure that your childs educational experience is smooth sailing, engaging the services of the appropriate advocate, attorney, or other professional is essential.v
Julie A. Dialessi-Lafley, Esq. is a multi-faceted attorney with the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C., who focuses her practice areas in business law, real estate, estate planning, and administration and family law. She contributes to a popular Family Law Blog at bwlaw.blogs.com/ familylawbits; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]
Acts of Kindness
Major Thomas Perks of the Salvation Army of Springfield helps kick off the 24th annual Hasbro Children’s Giving Tree program at the Eastfield Mall. Members of the East Longmeadow High School chorale group are in the background. Through the program, which ran through Dec. 12, Hasbro partners with the Salvation Army, the United Way of Pioneer Valley, Rachel’s Table, and the community to get toys, games and non-perishable food items to underprivileged children and families in the Springfield area. Hasbro donates the toys and games, while community members donate non-perishable food items and perform ‘Acts of Kindness.’
Link to Libraries
Meyers Bros. Kalicka, CPA, in Holyoke; and Link to Libraries, a not-for-profit organization based in Western Mass. whose mission is to collect and distribute to public elementary schools and non-profit organizations throughout Western Mass. new books to enhance reading, literacy, and language skills to children of all cultures, are pictured at the December holiday donation of new books to Sullivan Elementary School in Holyoke. Meyers Bros. Kalicka Managing Partner David Kalicka (middle, left) represented the firm as corporate sponsor for the Sullivan Elementary School holiday book drive. More than 300 books were donated by the firm for the Sullivan School and other area schools in the region. Also pictured are: Susan Jaye-Kaplan, co-founder of Link to Libraries (next to David Kalicka); Janet Kalicka, Sullivan School staff representative; and Sullivan School Principal John Breish.
Rosa Parks Day
The fourth annual Rosa Parks Day commemoration was held on Dec. 5 at Springfield Technical Community College. The event at STCC, which marks the anniversary of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. bus, featured Springfield-area guest speakers who were active in the civil rights movement. Here, speakers pose with a group of students and a teacher from William DeBerry School. Left to right, from the middle back: Frederick Hurst, publisher of Afro-American Point of View; E. Henry Twiggs, Chair of the Springfield Democratic City Committee and a member of the Rosa Parks Day Organizing Committee; Dr. Ruth B. Loving; and state Rep. Benjamin Swan.
By the Numbers
Pollster John Zogby, president and CEO of Zogby International, addressed a gathering of more than 100 members and friends of the World Affairs Council of Western Mass. on his new book, “The Way We’ll Be,” at the Springfield Sheraton Hotel on Dec. 3. The event was sponsored by FieldEddy, A. L. Cignoli Co., and BusinessWest. Here, Zogby talks with some attendees prior to his address.
Open for Business
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were staged recently at Agawam Crossing, a new medical and office building on Route 75. At left, Ken Vincunas, president of Development Associates and developer of the project, chats with Agawam Mayor Susan Dawson, who was on hand to help cut the ceremonial ribbon. Above, Stacy Magiera, practice administrator, and Christopher Magiera, DMD, PC, stand at the booth of the new general dentistry offices of Christopher J. Magiera, one of many tenants now doing business in Agawam Crossing, including Individual & Family Counseling Center, Baystate Rehabilitation Care, and Anytime Fitness.
Take These Steps to Help Younger Workers Reach Their Full Potential
The next generations of workers, i.e. teens and young adults, have gained a reputation from the older generation of not being able to contribute at the same level they did when they were young. People often talk about how todays teens just dont have the work ethic, are lazy, and dont listen, follow rules, or respect their supervisors.
For sure, teens will be teens, and their immaturity and attitudes will surface on many occasions. However, well into a new millennium, its become clear that the pace and environment that these young people have been raised in is unique to their short lives.
So before you dismiss this new generation of workers, take the following into account, and use this knowledge to turn them into workplace stars:
Technology: One of the biggest technological advancements of the Baby Boomer generation was replacing the 8-track tape player with the audiocassette. Teens and young adults today have known a world with cell phones, computers, the Internet, Google, MySpace, YouTube, and iPods. This has played a role in shaping every aspect of their lives. Use this to your advantage by allowing younger workers to help you with technology-related projects. Get their input when updating your Web site or using social networking sites. Allow them to share their wealth of knowledge with you and your staff.
Information and Communication: Not very long ago, information came from the nightly news, daily newspaper, or books. Communication was face-to-face, in writing, or over the phone. But all that has changed. Over the past decade, information and communication have flowed in an instant stream and can even be customized. Teens and young adults are hardwired to process the maximum amount of facts, figures, and news. Now, communication occurs at a far greater rate through cell phones, E-mails, instant messaging, texting, and social-networking sites. However, it is far less personal.
Use this to your advantage by texting or E-mailing your schedules and company information to younger workers and bringing them up to speed in a way that they are more familiar with.
Society and Culture: Much could be written regarding the escalating changes in society and our culture; however, here are just a few observations that will have an impact on how a teen or young adult will perform at work.
We are a long way from the family sitting around the dinner table with mom and dad, recapping the day and discussing tomorrow. With access to credit cards, we have evolved into a consumer-driven society, dominated by brand names. At both the individual and professional levels, sports have taken on a far greater level of significance and involvement. Many times, role models have moved away from a local positive adult influence to distant celebrities who can easily disappoint.
All of these things have shaped what teens and young adults expect in the workplace, so they are certainly less ready for the traditional workplace than past generations. Preparation for entry-level, hourly, and seasonal jobs rarely occurs. Parents and schools have tended to abdicate this responsibility, and young adults honestly dont see the cause and effect between a part-time job and the million-dollar lifestyle they aspire to. Smart employers will tackle this challenge by setting honest expectations upfront, and mentor younger workers on a regular basis so they stay on track with their future goals.
Appearance: Self-expression and personal identity has always been a high priority for teens. Tattoos, body piercings, and hairstyles are not acts of rebellion. Carving out ones individuality is a natural response to the bombardment of messages they receive on how to look and act. Dont pass judgment simply based on appearance. As a rule, it is not a reflection of their performance. Instead, learn from this situation. Teens and young adults are used to seeing things differently … and they are more accepting of other cultures and differences.
Speed Is Everything: All of the above tend to have speed as a common characteristic. Todays youth have been raised in a 24/7, got-to-have-it-now world. They didnt ask for it or demand it. From Main Street to the Internet, in their lifetime, companies never close for business. Dont expect to witness patience as a virtue at work. Use this to your advantage by encouraging multi-tasking in the office. Teens and young adults are used to managing multiple projects at once, so dont feel the need to look over their shoulder constantly.
As different as this may be from the way you were raised, these elements drive all of the positive qualities of this new generation. Todays teens and young adults are as able and capable as any generation before them, maybe even moreso. These same life components have made them adaptable, committed, innovative, knowledgeable, time-efficient, tolerant, and able to multi-task like its an Olympic sport.
Understanding and appreciating the unique environment they have been raised in is often the first step in making real progress with your younger staff. Take the time to consider how you can use their skills in your business, and watch your productivity and profits soar.
Ken Whiting is an industry expert on providing solutions for entry-level workforce challenges. His WAVES for Success program teaches companies what inspires young adults and teens to participate, contribute, and excel at work. His new book, WAVES for Teenage Workforce Success, provides insights on recruiting, motivating, and retaining;[email protected]
Fire Tests Country Bank’s Response Systems and Its Mettle
It was big news, if not exactly a big fire. Indeed, the blaze that broke out in the Country Bank headquarters building in downtown Ware last month was extinguished quickly, with only significant smoke damage. But the fire provided a stern test of the banks emergency preparedness and response systems a test that was passed with high scores and also some important lessons for companies in all sectors
Paul Scully grabbed his desk calendar, flipped it back a page, and tapped his finger on one of the appointment-filled boxes.
November 19th, two days before the fire, we had a fire drill, said Scully, president and CEO of Ware-based Country Bank. I remember it was really cold and quite windy; everyone was miserable standing out there. They were saying, whose idea was this?
A few minutes later, he flipped the calendar back another page, scanned it, and quickly found the notation he was looking for. October 26th thats when we had our annual mock disaster drill, he noted. Id say that if we were going to have a serious emergency, our timing was pretty good.
Indeed, but this nearly 160-year-old institution had much more going for it than timing as it responded to what would have to be considered a minor, albeit quite smoky fire late in the afternoon on Nov. 21 at the banks headquarters in downtown Ware. It had procedures, preparation, redundancy, excess capacity, and, ultimately, nearly flawless execution that kept the bank open and running, and without the loss of any data stored in its system or any momentum.
All these are things that banks plan for and pay a high price for a byproduct of the Y2K-9/11 double-whammy but most have never used them for anything approaching a real emergency. And crossing over that line is eye-opening, and also a little bizarre.
The surreal part of all this is that, with all the planning and the significant sums of money that are put into disaster-recovery efforts, you just think youre never going to really need them, Scully said. That was the part where you say, wow not only are we prepared for it, but this really can happen.
The bank also had some extremely high standards set by its so-called Disaster Recovery Team, which had every facility but the main office (due to be closed for several more weeks as the building is cleaned and renovated) handling business as usual at 9 a.m. on the Saturday after the fire, and wouldnt have been content with anything less, said Scully.
To say that we could have a fire on Friday night and that it will be OK if we dont open until Monday morning simply wasnt and isnt acceptable to this group, he said. Theyre the ones who said, we dont want to cause any disruption in services to anyone.
And the institution had what just a few weeks ago would have been considered luxuries for most companies, said Scully, who used that term to describe the roughly 44,000 square feet of space in an old ice-skate-manufacturing facility just a few hundred yards from the main office that the bank began leasing a few years ago, as well as dozens of spare computers it happened to have on hand as part of its disaster-recovery plan.
There are important lessons to be taken from all this, not only for banks, but all companies, said Scully, noting that preparation, planning, and redundancy to the extent possible and not good timing were the real keys to successfully handling this incident.
This provided a really good lesson for a lot of businesses who probably dont do this, said Patti Mitchell, the banks longtime director of Marketing. Things went like clockwork here, and that wasnt by accident; people knew exactly what to do and when to do it. If we hadnt planned for something like this, people would have been going in every direction, not knowing what to do.
In this issue, BusinessWest recounts the events of Nov. 21, but also explains why what came long before that afternoon is the real story of the fire at Country Bank.
Taking the Heat
Scully was just leaving the banks East Brookfield office after a meeting with staff there when he got the call.
My first response was, define fire, he said when recalling his reply to the human-resources administrator who reached him on his cell phone with the news. I was asking her, is it a big fire, a little fire? What?
The person at the other end didnt know she wasnt on-site, either but would endeavor to find out. By the time Scully reached downtown Ware, only to be trapped in a massive traffic jam that resulted when the police shut down Main Street, he knew that this wasnt a fiery blaze caused, he would learn later, by a malfunction in a small stove in the facilitys basement-level break room but did produce vast amounts of thick black smoke.
The cinderblock walls produced an oven-like effect, he explained, adding that there was a good amount of heat and smoke that caused damage estimated at anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million.
When he finally arrived at the landmark building at the corner of Main and Bank streets, Scully could only stand outside, watch, and wait for reports the most important of which came more than an hour later, when fire officials would confirm that everyone who could have been in the building employees, contractors, vendors, and anyone else when the fire broke out was accounted for and uninjured. (The blaze broke out after the bank had closed, so there were no customers inside at the time.)
The fire was big news in Ware the local weekly, The Ware River News, devoted its entire front page to the incident due primarily to the size of the company involved (the bank is one of the largest employers left in the community), the historical nature of the building (its been a bank for more than a century), and the commotion it caused. However, the damage was fairly minor, and most customers who dont live in Ware or read its local paper didnt even know there was a fire.
And this, said Scully, is how things should be, and how one can measure just how effective all the planning and response systems ultimately were.
Elaborating, he returned to the fire scene and his first thoughts after verifying that no one was injured. I was thinking, we have to open in 14 hours! But by the time these thoughts were being processed, people working behind the scenes had already made sure the doors at the institutions 13 other locations would open as scheduled.
This feat requires that all computer-operated systems remain functional via a back-up system at a remote location in this case the leased space in the former American Athletic Shoe complex along the Ware River and also having the physical space for people to perform their work.
You need to have the capacity to accommodate a significant number of additional people, he explained, so that not only could we operate all of our satellite operations, but if a facility like the main office was involved, all of those people, all of whom have important work to do, can be doing that work somewhere else.
The banks disaster-response plan sets down a series of steps to ensure the continuance of operations, said Scully, and there is continual practice carrying out these steps, especially at the annual disaster drill.
We identify all the critical tasks, he explained, meaning answers to the questions, what has to be in this amount of time? What needs to be in 12 hours, or 24 hours? And we rehearse all this.
Burning Issues
Such practice pays off, he continued, as evidenced by how coolly and calmly the disaster-recovery team went about its work.
Had someone been in the room when we set up the command site, they wouldnt have had a sense, based on the emotional level in the room, that we were in the middle of a fire other than the fact that we all smelled of smoke, Scully explained. A few of our board members showed up and said that it was obvious that people were in total control, that they knew what their assignments were and they were executing them.
As he replayed the events in the hours and days after the fire, Scully said there were a number of factors that contributed to a quick, effective recovery and a tally sheet that the banks president described this way: customer impact: none; staffing impact: none; concerns about any lost business: none, because you were able to accommodate all that.
He said the banks decision to lease significant space in the former mill and create what it calls an operations center was certainly one such factor. That square footage provides the institution with far more space than it needs or needed until a few weeks ago.
Were using every bit of that space now, he said, noting that roughly 90% of those who were working in the main office when the fire broke out were behind desks and computers at the operations center on Monday morning and working.
And everything is functioning so normally that there is absolutely no rush to reopen the doors of the headquarters building. Were looking forward to getting back in, said Scully, but the interesting part is that, when we moved into this building, we built it out to accommodate future growth; we just didnt know the future growth was going to happen overnight.
Timing was also a factor, he said, noting those aforementioned drills, and even evolution played a part as in the evolution of banking and technology. There is far less paper being used in all banks today, he explained, and theres even less cash in the vault because of the widespread use of debit cards.
But effective planning was the real key, he continued.
Scully said he has a number of qualitative and quantitative measures for how well his bank handled its adversity. The number of people who didnt know about the fire is one he likes to cite. Another is the fact that 25 bank employees were scheduled to show up the Sunday after the fire and help decorate Main Street for the holidays and all of them made it.
Thats an indication of just how much it was back to business as usual, he explained. Everyone was there.
Not every business can lease 44,000 square feet of mostly extra space sitting in case its needed, he said, and not every business can have closets full of spare computers handy in case a smoky blaze prompts the relocation of dozens of workers.
But there are steps that each and every business can and should take to prepare for an unexpected incident. If one actually occurs, the experience may be surreal, as Scully described, but it wont be, well, a disaster.
Banking on It
When asked what lessons the bank took from its disaster, Scully joked that the renovated break room will likely be outfitted with simply a microwave.
Beyond that, he said, the company can take a good dose of reassurance that the money it has spent on redundancy, disaster preparation, and disaster response much of it now legislated is certainly money well-spent.
Businesses not as tightly regulated can learn from this as well. And the ultimate lesson is that they shouldnt wait for a disaster to prepare for one.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
A Dose of Daily Motivation Builds Momentum
As a leader, it does not matter what product or service your company offers or what specific responsibility your team has; your job is to motivate and develop your employees. While most leaders believe motivation is the key to any organizations success, many struggle to keep their people motivated on a daily basis.
So if keeping your teams motivated is a struggle in good times, is it even harder in a weak economy? Yes, absolutely. The focus shifts to the tough economy, so it becomes even easier to ignore the day-to-day obstacles. Heres an idea instead of ignoring the real issues, challenge your team to recognize, overcome, and be successful. Of course, it may be tough when research shows two important factors are prohibiting leaders from doing their jobs effectively: they fear losing their jobs due to downsizing, or they lack knowledge of how to actually motivate their teams. If leaders are afraid of losing their jobs, imagine how the employees feel.
So, as leaders, how can you motivate someone or even yourself when there is fear of being laid off? The fact is, the best way to keep your job during reorganization is to stay focused on your job and ignore the noise, and do your job better than anyone else. Corporate leaders will, at some point in their careers, experience company restructures and downsizing. During these times it is important not to ignore the option of losing your job; however, dont focus on it. Focus on what you can control you, your teams actions, and ultimately the performance of your division.
There is no doubt that the market and economy will rebound and will be bigger and better than ever. The only question is, when? While this is an optimistic view, what choice do you have? You can be motivated and believe you will achieve your goals, or you can focus on the negatives and feel miserable and hopeless. Its vital you choose to be excited and motivated with an optimistic outlook for a better end result. Heres the best part: By making this choice as a leader, your team will follow your example.
So, this being said, how can you keep your team motivated every day? Again, while motivation is the key part of any leaders job, it is one of the most difficult. People are made up of energy, and when people communicate with each other, it is merely a transfer of energy. To keep your team motivated on a long-term, consistent basis, a leader must have a plan that involves that energy. A leader needs to focus on what he or she can do daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly to achieve the goal: to maximize their teams motivation.
Knowledge creates confidence, and when a person is confident, he or she is more motivated to take action: knowledge + confidence = motivation.
A leader must turn the energy thermostat to high. Everyone has to understand that the right energy will empower everybody to achieve more. Remember, most people spend more time at work than at home, so it should be fun and motivating.
To maximize your teams motivation, here are some things you can do daily, weekly, and quarterly in your office:
Remember to play to win day in and day out. You should never be in the defensive position, either waiting for the corporate ax to come down or hoping your teams will motivate themselves. Get in the trenches, talk with your teams, and be energetic, positive, and focused, and your team will do the same with your customers, ultimately ensuring your success.
Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail Development Group and author of The Sales Leaders Playbook, is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and corporate coach. As a former executive director for Sprint and owner of several small businesses, Jamail travels the country helping individuals and organizations achieve maximum success. His clients include Radio Shack, Nationwide Insurance, Metro PCS, and Century 21;www.nathanjamail.com
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Albert, Catherine Ann Allen, Krishel Pearl Altis, Jean Anne Belue Design Blankenship, Alan C. Brodeur, Donald J. Brown, Larry E. Brown, Molly-Beth Campbell, Carrie C. Cape, Antony Robert Converse, Scott A. Cosme, Mercedes Cyr, Roland Joseph De La Rosa, Ismael Deluck, Frederick C. Discovery Corner Childcare Dixe, Michael A. Garcia, Annie Girouard, Carl L. Goldthwaite, Scott A. Handy, Bradley C. Hastie, Cheryl A. Jorge, Angel Kroll, Christopher Lacombe, Lynn C. R. Littlefield, Michelle M. Lopes, Saville Shirley, D. Maldonado, Francisco G. McAuliffe, Edward F. McCorquodale, Jeffrey M. Merchant, Elissa Ann Mercier, James Herbert Nguyen, Tung T. | Ostrander, I. C. Pasterczyk, Timothy Francis Perez, Arnaldo L. Pham, Thuy Thi Piascik, Gary J. Pitoniak, Kelly J. Racine, Kimberley J. Reopel, Katarzyna Reyes, Dennis R. RMN Real Estate Romano, Carmelina Rossell, Bernard Daves Rust, Steven R. Sainsbury, Gary I. Santos, Lisa Marie Santos, Miriam Small, Ingrid E. Smith, Kathryne E. Starkweather, Emily Ridout Stasiowski, Catherine Irene Taupier, Alan T. Tillotson, Matthew W. Torff, Allene B. Torres, Juan A. Tryon, Herbert L. Urena, Mario R. Vallecillo, Patricia Vasquez, Fernando T. Vescovi, Jessie L. Ward, Janice L. Weissman, Gordon R. Zlogar, Kay |
A Head-on Approach to Green-based Prosperity
As our nation struggles with the global economic crisis, President-elect Obama and Congress must find the right measures to stimulate the economy today and invest wisely to create sustained prosperity. Obama recognizes an extraordinary opportunity exists to restart the economy and combat the threat of global warming by launching a green New Deal, but our long-term success greatly depends on educating skilled workers for new technical fields.
Obama has outlined an immediate plan to create 2.5 million jobs through green-based initiatives, such as building wind farms and solar panels. This first step must be complemented with a long-term strategy that improves the environmental and economic sustainability of our nation.
Through a national green initiative, centered at our public research universities, we can meet this challenge and emerge with a more sustainable environment and economy in the short and longer term.
This national green initiative, which would be launched in coordination with the flagship research universities across the country, would have three parts but one simple goal building the human and capital infrastructure necessary to compete in the decades ahead, while simultaneously infusing millions of dollars into the private sector right away in building the facilities needed to create tomorrows green technology breakthroughs.
The federal government would create a loan-forgiveness program that would allow students in science, technology, engineering, and math to have their student loans partially or completely forgiven in return for a multi-year commitment to teaching in these fields in K-12 schools. Every state is facing shortages in qualified teachers, and at a time when the job market is increasingly difficult, theres never been a better time to encourage bright, young people to become teachers.
To educate these students, each states public research university would develop a proposal to build or renovate the laboratories and classrooms necessary to train both workers and educators in math and sciences as well as environmental sciences and related fields. These facilities would drive innovation and research breakthroughs as well as provide valuable learning space. To support this, the federal government would establish a $50 billion fund for such construction across the nation, and encourage universities to match these federal funds with state and private support. At the same time, the universities would be required to plan to work with the educational systems in their state to increase the numbers of students in these fields, and to offer current teachers access to these facilities for improved training.
For this plan to work, these efforts must be aimed at improving the learning environment across the state, and our public research universities are uniquely positioned to drive this effort.
Each of these construction projects must meet the latest green-building standards, and the bid process should require that local workers in each of the states be employed on these projects thereby training a whole new cadre of workers in the latest sustainable technologies. In addition, faculty at these universities should be directly involved in the project development to ensure that not only are these facilities as green as possible, but that they meet the teaching and research needs of our next generation of students and teachers, as well as for training our workforce of the future.
While this idea is, in many ways, very simple, it will require our government and universities to work closely together, to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and to move right away on these projects. It will also require our universities to fully engage the community colleges and other higher-educational institutions in a partnership.
We must, as a nation, address head-on the issue of energy self-sufficiency while combating global climate change. We must create jobs and financial security now, even as we attempt to prepare for an uncertain future.-
Robert C. Holub is chancellor of UMass Amherst.
Surveillance System Brings Crime, Safety Concerns into Focus
Theyve been in place only a few months now, but the cameras positioned in downtown Springfield are already showing enormous promise as a vehicle for making the area safer and more attractive. The surveillance system currently boasts more than 15 cameras, and there will be 25 within a few weeks and 40 by the end of the next year. Theyre capable of picking up license plates from a few hundred yards away, and theyre giving Springfield officials and police some much-needed eyes in the sky.
Chris Castellano zoomed in on a stretch of Harrison Avenue near the Civic Center Parking Garage.
There had been a rather high incidence of motor vehicle break-ins of the so-called smash-and-grab variety in that area, and Castellano, operations manager of the Springfield Business Improvement District (BID), wanted to show BusinessWest exactly where all this was happening.
He did so by manipulating a camera installed atop the back of the TD Banknorth Building that sits on the corner of Main and Harrison now sending images to a command post of sorts at the Springfield Guides offices within that office tower. This is one of about 15 cameras that have been installed in the downtown area, with another 10 to be put in place over the next few months, and a total of 40 by the end of 2009.
With his Nintendo-like joystick, Castellano, staring at a bank of computer screens in the so-called monitoring room, could zero in on that aforementioned area along Harrison Avenue, pan across to other sections of that busy quadrant, and even get in tight enough to read license-plate numbers and identify features on passersby, such as their style of dress and the color of their pants.
And with all that capability, he and others involved in a broad surveillance program involving the downtown and other areas of Springfield hope and expect to be able to use the past tense much more often when it comes to describing crime and patterns of it in the City of Homes.
This was the overall motivation behind a $175,000 state earmark for cameras and monitoring equipment, the first several of which were installed a few months ago, with new additions coming regularly since.
Indeed, as he talked with BusinessWest, Castellano discovered that another camera had been activated since the last time he was in his chair this one a few hundred yards down Harrison Avenue. Perched on a light pole, it provides great views of the corner of Chestnut and Mattoon streets, which has been identified as a trouble spot in some ways.
This is going to be interesting, said Castellano as he maneuvered the camera and developed a feel for its range of motion, noting, as he did so, that the street corner in question and the surrounding area have seen larger-than-desired volumes of loitering and panhandling, much of it in front of a liquor store at the intersection. The new camera should help the Springfield Guides, a small group of individuals who patrol the 26-block area under the auspices of the BID and assist the police with keeping order, to reduce such activities and thus better protect visitors, workers, and residents in the downtown.
A lot of the complaints we get and the reason we put this camera here and put cameras in the positions theyre in involve loitering and people who make others feel unsafe, he explained. With this camera, we can zoom in, and if we see anybody, we send out one of our patrols and ask them to move along. If they refuse to move, we contact the police, and they tell them to move along.
This isnt exactly what would be called serious crime, said Castellano, but it falls under the categories of quality of life and perception of safety, and the surveillance program should improve both.
And when we cut down on those types of things, people will see that downtown is not a bad place to live or work in, he continued, adding that the surveillance program is as much an economic-development tool as it is a public-safety initiative.
If the bad guys dont yet know there are cameras on them its been all over the news, and if they read the press release we sent out, theyd know where the cameras are located, said Castellano they may well find out the hard way.
Its amazing what weve been able to see and do in just a few weeks weve caught some people doing things they wouldnt do if they knew there was a camera on them, he continued, adding that he believes the cameras have helped police identify some wrongdoers, and will undoubtedly contribute to taking many such individuals off the streets, while giving law-abiding individuals more peace of mind.
For this issue, BusinessWest spent some time in the monitoring room to gain an understanding of the new surveillance system and how it should impact some of the big-picture issues in the regions largest city.
Zoom Service
As he clicked through the menu of cameras currently installed, Castellano stopped at the one aimed down Worthington Street by whats called Duryea Park.
This is a fun one, he explained. With this camera we can see all the club action we can see all the petty things kids do when theyre drunk and heading in and out of all the clubs.
Fun was a word Castellano used more than a few times, but this surveillance program is serious business with a hard purpose making a large dent in the twin issues of crime and the perception of same, which have been identified as some of the keys to revitalization of the city.
Such programs have been instituted in several other metropolitan areas, and even some much smaller communities all as part of a broad program funded mostly by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. While officials in the Boston suburb of Brookline recently made headlines for threatening to reject cameras amid concern from residents about a surveillance society, hundreds of cities and towns have embraced them.
That list includes New York, which has cameras in several areas of the city, Chicago, Atlanta, and Wilmington, Del. Business-improvement districts have been involved with the surveillance efforts, Castellano explained, and Springfield BID officials checked out several other cities systems to gain insight into their capabilities and performance.
In downtown Atlanta, cameras were installed roughly a year ago, said BID Director Jeff Keck, adding that, according to one account, development officials in that city noted a significant drop in crime over the past six months and the surveillance system has been given some of the credit.
A comprehensive surveillance system has been talked about in Springfield for the better part of a decade, said Castellano, adding that, while cameras had been approved and money earmarked, the cameras were not actually funded by the Legislature until very recently. In fact, lawmakers had to override Gov. Patricks budget veto to bring the first cameras to the downtown in early October.
There are now cameras spread across the 26-block section handled by the BID an area that stretches from East Columbus Avenue to Edward Street, from Frank B. Murray Way to Bliss Street and some locations outside that zone, including two in Mason Square.
The surveillance system is still a work in progress, said Castellano, with some kinks being worked out, new cameras being added regularly, and software upgrades pending that will significantly improve overall performance. In addition, the BID is exploring opportunities with Springfield Technical Community College to create classes that would train individuals to use the technology.
As an example of what this technology can or soon will do, Castellano paused to watch a pedestrian moving past the MassMutual Center. Soon, a software upgrade will enable individuals monitoring images sent from the cameras to essentially click on such an individual and follow their movements all hands-free.
There is a certain Big Brother-like nature to this kind of surveillance that concerns some, Castellano acknowledged, but polls show that a majority of Americans support such activity as a way to reduce crime and keep streets safer.
Frame Work
Running through the scope and capabilities of the system, Castellano said the cameras are perched on buildings and streetlights, and have been strategically placed (with significant input from city police) to help reduce the incidence of crime. Images are monitored from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. each day.
The cameras have a 360-degree range of motion, are equipped with night-vision technology, and can bring license plates into focus from several hundred feet away. The accompanying software, meanwhile, enables those monitoring the images to zoom in and out, play back any incidents, break them down frame by frame, and review them using slow-motion and freeze-frame technology.
We can see things much better than we could with the naked eye, said Castellano, noting, for example, that a frame-by-frame review of some images from one camera revealed how an individual was able to determine which cars to break into.
He had a scout working ahead of him, checking out the cars, he explained. Thats how he could tell one car was unlocked. We used the tape to see that a guy was using a torch to break into cars; it turned out to be the same guy.
As he focused in on another pedestrian seen in a recording of events captured by a camera at 1648 Main St, near the federal building, Castellano showed how the system could detect such details as a red hooded sweatshirt, brown pants, and sneakers. Sometimes, this is all police need to further an investigation.
Indeed, while most of the cameras have only been in place a few weeks or even a few days, Castellano said its certainly not too early to state conclusively that the surveillance system should help reduce the incidence of crime in Springfield.
The cameras are proving themselves extremely effective in showing us all thats going on and helping to make the streets safer, he explained. Were still working the kinks out; once were at 100%, this system is going to be able to catch everything. Its amazing what it has caught already and sometimes we dont even realize what weve caught.
Castellano was careful not to reveal information that could hinder ongoing police investigations, he did say the cameras have helped achieve what he would term progress in some trouble spots.
These include Stockbridge Street, and specifically the area behind the Community Music School site of several motor-vehicle break-ins and the area by Gridiron Street and the Hippodrome.
Meanwhile, Castellano said he and others who monitor the images are finding their work intriguing and ultimately quite rewarding.
Its work, but I have some fun with it, and my guys have some fun with it, too, he explained. They get really pumped up trying to catch someone committing a crime, and they love working with police; its exciting to them. Were the eyes and ears for the police.
Eyes in the Sky
Returning to the images provided by the camera positioned on Worthington Street, Castellano said that, in addition to the antics of club-goers, those monitoring the images have witnessed a few minor fights, all of which were broken up by police or bouncers.
Overall, he said the cameras have revealed something he pretty much knew already as a BID official and downtown resident that Springfield has crime, but nothing more than most cities its size.
The surveillance system will make this known, he said, and also let residents, workers, and visitors understand that the city is focused on public safety, quality-of-life concerns, and, in general, making downtown a place to be, not a place to avoid.
In other words, big-picture issues.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
A few months ago, a contributing columnist to BusinessWest suggested retiring the phrase hunkering down. He said that, overall, the term doesnt really mean anything anymore (if it ever did), but that if there is a connotation, it is generally a sense of ducking and dodging.
Websters Collegiate states only that hunker means to squat or crouch, and that the word is, in fact, generally used with down, although that sounds somewhat redundant.
And if people are going to continue to use that phrase with regard to the recession and their efforts to withstand or survive it, then it should be retired. Thats because this region doesnt need a lot of hunkering, or even hunkering down, right now.
Instead, as business-management experts state in an informal guide to getting to the other side of this recession in this issue, it needs some imaginative thinking and determination to grow, and not merely survive. What the experts say, and theyre right, is that, while this may be a time of challenge or extreme challenge for those in some sectors it is also a time of opportunity, if people choose to view it as such and have the daring not to merely hunker down.
Such daring remains a foreign concept to many, including most of those who remember what 1990 and 1982 were like. The phones in their offices stopped ringing unless they were in the bill-collection business and didnt start ringing again for years.
In response, many did some real hunkering, and in the process they probably missed out on some excellent business opportunities, while helping to deepen those recessions in the process.
We know thats its very easy to preach such action, and much harder to do it. The experts (yes, that word needs quotation marks around it) pull out some well-worn rhetorical phrases like be active, not reactive, and thrive, not simply survive, which are overused and can sound as trite as hunkering down.
But theyre right.
While it goes against some of their most basic of instincts, now is a time when business owners should be thinking imaginatively and perhaps taking some steps they normally take only when those handling both accounts receivable and accounts payable sound much more upbeat.
This might be the time to find new ways to collaborate with other businesses and organizations to create new revenue streams that will yield dividends long after the recession is declared over. Likewise, this could and should be the time to make sure your company is providing relevant products and services and that customers are receiving what they demand most value.
This is also a time, as one expert stated, when business owners and managers should be exploring what would be considered missed opportunities such as the huge and still-growing Hispanic market and other ethnic populations to turn such misses into hits.
Meanwhile, this is definitely the time to look at operations, procedures, and personnel to make sure ones company is being as efficient as it can be. This sounds like a no-brainer, but businesses dont do enough of this whether the economy is bad or good.
In summation, those I Refuse to Participate in a Recession buttons are good, clever, and practical. But the wearers need to back up the words with actions.
If they dont, those words are hollow and somewhat meaningless just like hunkering down.
The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2008.
AGAWAM Paul Chevalier David R. Northup AMHERST Amherst College Trustees CHICOPEE Deslauriers Fleming LLC Service Net Tunstall Association US Tsubaki, Inc. EASTHAMPTON Autumn Properties City of Easthampton Joanne O’Leary Stawarz Realty Trust Williston Northampton School GREENFIELD Troy Renaud Holyoke Mall Co., LP Holyoke Medical Center O’C Ingleside LLC Open Square Properties LLC Varick Pelton | LUDLOW Pioneer Investment Group Pioneer Investment Group NORTHAMPTON Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc. Coolidge Center LLC Florence Savings Bank Nonotuck Mill LLC Rocky Hill Co-Housing LLC SOUTHWICK Shepard Corporation SPRINGFIELD Baystate Health Inc. James E. Mastowski Marwan Awkal Picknelly Family Partners SIS Center WESTFIELD Boisjolie Realty LLC Frank Demairinis Westfield Women’s Club |
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2008.
AGAWAM APEX Energy Efficiency Consultants BMT Trucking Canterbury Safe Gary Dionne Business Ventures Interstate Properties LLC Lime Light Entrepreneurial Group Pananas Restaurant Paris Nails Prima Commercial Products Precise Machine Co. The Dream Team WEBTXDIRECT AMHERST All Aspects Research Amherst Tire Center Lyra Cleaning Services CHICOPEE Dawn Marie’s Visage Harvest Valley T & H Truck Sales Inc. The Health & Nutrition King Tylunas Funeral Home EASTHAMPTON K & M Cycle La Casita Azteca PGL Management Strange Child Productions GREENFIELD New England Speech Therapy Group HADLEY Center for Hollistic Health Home Depot HOLYOKE El Cuatrito Inc. Green Property Management Holyoke Auto Sales LLC | Marmesenia Cakes NORTHAMPTON B & G Accessories Chiropractic And Wellness Center Communicate Health Strides & Brides PALMER Haley Trucking The Tranny Shop SOUTH HADLEY Arborarts.com El Guanaco Faye’s Home Improvement SOUTHWICK La Petite Jolie Designs SPRINGFIELD Abiding Truth Ministries D.B. Failey and Associates Double Jays Home Improvement Economy Landscaping Father & Sons Delivery Joseph Mini Mart Porfirio’s Property Service Stop & Go Market Wild Vine Hosting WESTFIELD Beth Brett Massage Therapy Game City J & A Overhead Door LBI Truck & Bus Repair Reliable Preventative Maintenance Ricky’s Porta-Pottys WEST SPRINGFIELD Angelo Bertelli’s Liquor Mart Bertera Lincoln Mercury Inc. Bertera Suzuki |
Don’t Limit Access to Higher Education
By most accounts, we are now entering the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Nationally, the signs abound: the loss of home value, the meltdown in the stock market, the rise in unemployment, collapse of the credit markets, and a record $1 trillion federal deficit.
As these dramatic changes reverberate through the economy, a college education becomes ever-more important to secure a decent paying job and enter a stable career; studies show the link between higher levels of educational attainment and higher average salaries. Furthermore, certain associate degrees such as those in nursing, allied health, computer science, and manufacturing, pay much greater dividends becaue jobs in these fields are in high demand.
In this environment, individuals are facing hard choices about where to commit to spend their money. Where to go to college and how to pay for higher education ranks among a familys most important decisions.
One may choose between public and private colleges, with elite private colleges now costing without room and board upwards of $40,000 per year. Within the public sector, there are three options: university campuses, state colleges, and community colleges. In Massachusetts, average student charges per year without room and board for these three segments are:
- $9,585 for the four UMass campuses;
- $6,400 for the nine state colleges; and
- $3,862 for the states 15 community colleges.
Since community colleges are the least expensive, they are becoming more and more popular as a way to stretch a familys and students limited resources. And people are flocking to these local colleges. Fall 2008 figures show community colleges now dominate enrollment in the state with 89,000 students, compared with 46,928 at the four university campuses, and a total of 37,509 at the nine state college campuses.
This fall, community colleges statewide had an enrollment increase that averaged 5.3%, the largest jump of any segment. Although the Commonwealths community colleges offer only the first two years of a baccalaureate degree and a number of two-year career programs, the quality of instruction is superb. Consider that community colleges are teaching institutions with a focus on undergraduate students. Faculty are hired because of their knowledge and their ability to teach, not for research skills.
Springfield Technical Community College, for example, offers 60-plus career programs in business, health professions, computer science, and engineering technology. In addition, the college has a robust liberal arts curriculum leading to transfer to baccalaureate colleges throughout New England. Local private colleges AIC, Elms, Bay Path, Western New England, and Springfield College court STCC graduates through agreements that provide guaranteed scholarships for students with good grades.
Many STCC students also transfer to the public institutions, most notably UMass Amherst and Westfield State College.
So, for those worried about the economy and the future, community colleges continue to be the best deal in the state.
However, the current state budget deficit now threatens the accessibility and affordability of public higher education just when Massachusetts residents most need it.
Community colleges are the most lean and efficient segment of higher education, educating more students with less funding. They enroll more than half of public higher-education students, yet receive approximately one-quarter of state funding. Consequently, it will be more difficult for these institutions to absorb major funding cuts without affecting the quality of the education and resources so important to students and to our economic future.
Education is the economic driver for our state, producing the skilled and knowledgeable employees needed by business, schools, and industry particularly the health care industry.
While cutting funding for education will save money in the very short term, it will represent a far greater loss for our citizens and our state.
Ira Rubenzahl is president of Springfield Technical Community College.
A Well-designed Document Can Help Employers Avoid Lawsuits
An unfortunate reality of any business, especially in the current economic climate, is that an employer will, at some time, have to terminate an employee. Employers must carefully navigate this process to avoid the numerous pitfalls that can result from the need to terminate employees.
Terminated employees may challenge the legality of their termination, often by contending that they were discriminated against, constructively discharged, or even retaliated against for acting as a whistle-blower regarding the practices of the employer. Even if these claims are unfounded, the employer will incur some legal fees responding to any allegations.
Severance agreements are a useful tool that employers may wish to consider when making the decision to terminate an employee. Such agreements are designed to avoid litigation by providing former employees with valuable consideration in exchange for a release of certain claims against the former employer. However, if the severance agreement is drafted incorrectly, it can also be the cause of litigation. Further, employers must take into consideration several federal laws that protect the rights of employees. Failure to do so can render a severance agreement unenforceable despite the value the employer has already given to the former employee.
There are many important factors that must be taken into consideration when negotiating a severance agreement: provisions for wages, taxes, continued health care, other benefits, assistance in locating future employment, and, of course, the all-important release. These provisions should be specifically detailed in the agreement with regard to the amounts being paid to the employee as well as rights and responsibilities. Broad or over-generalized statements should be avoided because they can lead to unintended consequences that may negate the employers protections under the agreement.
The severance amount can be paid either as salary or in one lump-sum payment. The agreement should specify the manner of payment, along with what portions of any payment represent normal wages, back pay, and any other sums that are included. Emotional-distress damages are often included as well, which raises important tax questions for the employer and the employee. Emotional-distress damages are not subject to the same tax withholdings as wages, which generally shifts the burden of paying these taxes to the employee, rather than being deducted and paid by the employer.
Care must be taken in explaining this to avoid misleading the employee. The employer will need to include the wage portion in the employees W-2, and issue a 1099 for any non-wage payments.
Provisions providing for continued health care benefits must also be carefully drafted. These provisions should explain the duration of continued coverage, which party has responsibility for premiums, and the employees COBRA rights. Ancillary benefits, such as accrued vacation time and retirement, must also be dealt with.
Releases must be carefully drafted to achieve their expected results. Employers should be aware that certain claims cannot be waived under Massachusetts law. These claims include workers compensation claims, unemployment benefits, and payment of wages. Additionally, the protections of certain federal statutes, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, cannot be waived, either. Including language in the agreement that purports to waive an employees rights in these protected areas could itself expose an employer to liability.
Other employee protections can be waived, such as age-discrimination claims, but employers must be sure to meet the technical requirements for these waivers to be effective. For instance, the federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA), which sets requirements for an effective release of claims under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), requires that releases be written in plain and understandable language, that individual employees are provided with at least 21 days to consider the waiver and 45 days in the event of a group reduction in force, and that the employee has seven days to rescind the agreement, so that it does not become effective until the eighth day after it is signed by the employee.
Additionally, the employee should be notified that it is his right to seek the advice of counsel before signing the release. Failure to follow the technical requirements of OWBPA will leave an employer open to litigation despite the consideration already given by the employer. The release may also provide that, even if someone else pursues a claim on behalf of the employee (such as the EEOC), the employee will not seek to be paid any monies by the employer other than those received in the settlement.
Although properly worded severance agreements will cost the employer some money in the short run, they can serve as an effective insurance policy for the employer against claims by discharged employees, whose claims may or may not have merit, but at the very least, will cost the employer legal fees to defend them.v
Paul H. Rothschild, Esq. is chairman of Bacon Wilson, P.C.s Litigation Department. His practice is concentrated in general litigation, as well as personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and employer/employee disputes. He also represents a number of employers in general business and higher education, providing advice on issues relating to termination, discrimination, and avoidance of disputes; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]
As a brutal 2008 draws to a close, thoughts turn toward the year ahead, with talk dominated by words such as recession, depression, deleveraging, and deflation. And one more: bottom. Everyone wants to know when the nation will hit it and, thus, when the recovery will begin. The answer to that question lies mainly in the size and nature of future stimulus efforts and in restoration of that all-important commodity known as consumer confidence. In short, no one knows!
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of November 2008.
AGAWAM Affordable Drywall & Painting Albano’s Barber Shop All Star Landscaping Coastline Automotive Control Alt Delete LLC Frawley Engineering Jason A. Rocca Electrical Co. Nicholas DePalma Construction Northeast Tree & Landscape Construction The Law Offices of Brandon A. Parrelli Sigma Mattress Manufacturing AMHERST Sandy’s Barber Shop The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Assoc. CHICOPEE Car Credit 1st Courthouse Laundry Creative Change Interior Decorating Games & Stuff Kenny G’s Performance Tuning EASTHAMPTON Heron Automation Sanderson Designs Tranquil Domain Yoga Western Nail GREENFIELD Atlas Entertainment HADLEY Aaron’s Transport Valley Bookkeeping HOLYOKE Mahboob Inc. Melo Deli Grocery Readings by Margurite Track ‘N Trail LUDLOW Poppi’s Pizzeria | NORTHAMPTON Jupiter Girl Leather & Lace Hairstyle M.A.B Energy Thermal Brothers PALMER Hot Shot Billiards Palmer Auto Mall SOUTH HADLEY Brenda Lee Courier Caas Maintenance C&R Doors Home Facelifters SOUTHWICK Seniors Helping Seniors Southwick Forastiere Funeral Home SPRINGFIELD All Nations Auto Repair Aura’s Beauty Salon Being Well Therapeutic Certified Auto Glass Hosttree JK Subway, LLC Liberty Jean Co. Quality Sales & Services S.N.J. Plumbing & Heating The Whole Armour of God WESTFIELD Blissful Brooke Family Day Care Great Floors Lecrenski Bros. Inc. Lisa Nails Renee Collier WEST SPRINGFIELD Hathorn Associates Victory International Store Inc. |
Employers Get Creative with Benefit Packages
Employee benefits arent the one-size-fits-all packages of 20 and 30 years ago. Even in a slowing economy, employers say its difficult to attract and retain top talent with salary and health insurance alone, and many have become creative with signing bonuses, flexible hours, work-from-home options, and lifestyle benefits such as paid day care and tuition reimbursement often crafting individual packages for the workers they most value. But its not just about staying competitive; evidence is mounting that younger workers now expect such perks, and that has changed the game completely.
Its been said countless times before: the youngest generation in the American workforce, the group known as the Millennials, dont want to adhere to decades-old workplace mores.
In short, they want more time off, more flexibility to work outside the office, and less supervision. Its enough to give a manager especially one with old-school tendencies an anxiety attack.
But at a time when a sagging economy is beating up on companies bottom lines, some creative employers are using the preferences of younger workers to their recruiting advantage.
In the past, benefits were strictly looked at in terms of monetary compensation, said William Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County (REB). But with the new generation of workers, these Millennials, employers are looking at other ways to meet their needs.
One might wonder why such worker demands are even an issue in a down economy, but companies still put a high value on attracting and keeping the best talent, not just anyone.
Retention at a time like this is really not so much a problem because people tend to stay where they are when the economy goes down and theres not as much hiring going on, said Sandy Reynolds, executive vice president of Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM). During times like that, people tend to stay where theyre comfortable and have a sure thing.
That said, an AIM survey indicates that 20% of companies in Massachusetts are looking at ways to decrease the compensation budget, meaning that workers will see smaller pay increases in 2009 and employers will be seeking ways to offset the dissatisfaction that will cause. They can do so with flexible hours, telecommuting, and other lifestyle benefits.
I think employers have gotten smarter and realized the tremendous mutual benefit in being open to these types of things, said Reynolds. Years ago, AIM was one of the few organizations that had a very liberal way of looking at working from home. That used to be something that differentiated us, and we used it as a recruiting tool.
We still do, she continued, but were finding that more and more companies have seen the light and realized that they can trust people, that people work hard when no one is looking at them. A lot of managers have progressed beyond the attitude of, if someones not here, I cant be sure theyre working, and theyre learning techniques of managing people who work in non-traditional ways.
From the Home Office
Ward realizes that some traditionalists might scoff at the idea of letting workers, especially those without many years of workplace seasoning, essentially set their own schedule. But studies increasingly show that Millennials not only prize flexibility, but also are more productive when given some.
It isnt so much that employers are, as some say, loosening the rules to make it easier for certain people, he told Business-West. In fact, the companies that are innovative and responsive to employees needs realize that this is how to get the best work out of their people.
Theres a trend toward working at home in situations where the work is driven not by seat time, but by production and hitting your goals, Ward continued. A lot of times, you hire people who are coming from a flexible environment, maybe younger workers whose first jobs were in technology-driven companies, and it didnt matter where they sat, but who they networked with.
But its not just the young crowd thats finding freedom and productivity within such work models. Another group that clearly benefits from the trend is working mothers. Ward said several of the REBs 22 employees work at home because of family issues or distance, and they are connected to the downtown Springfield office through technology, so he can see the work theyre doing in real time.
Were performance-driven here, he explained said, noting that he values workers that have a productive mentality, no matter what schedule they require. He cited one employee who wanted a full-time job, but also wanted to continue teaching a course at a local college. Someone whos in the mode of teaching and always learning, thats someone I want to make arrangements to hire.
Of course, the model doesnt work with all vocations, especially those with customers visiting the workplace, he noted, but some corporations have been especially creative, such as JetBlue, which staffs its entire ticket-ordering operation in Utah with stay-at-home mothers.
The benefit of added flexibility doesnt apply only to where one works, of course, but when and how much free time is part of the deal.
Outside of the insurance benefits, youre seeing more paid time off for employees, said Meredith Wise, president of the Employers Assoc. of the Northeast. Rather than starting with one week for the first six months or year, some are jumping right to two weeks or three weeks.
Another option growing in popularity is banks of time off available to use at any time, instead of the typical, say, two weeks vacation, five sick days, and 10 vacation days. That way, youre not asking, are you sick today, or do you just want the day off?
Employees can bank time and use it as soon as they acquire it, Wise continued. If theyre not trying to save up for a two-week vacation, they can make some long weekends or take some time off in the middle of the week. That sort of flexibility is certainly attractive to people.
Other employers allow employees freedom to adjust their hours as needed, sometimes on the fly again, reflecting an emphasis on getting projects done over counting hours.
On one end of the spectrum, Gen-Xers and Millennials want to do things on their own schedule, she said, and at the other end, Baby Boomers may have aging parents that might have a doctors appointment, or they might want to spend time with their grandchildren.
Ward said such open thinking when it comes to where and when work gets done has gained traction in the past few years.
There has been some movement in that direction, he said. Clearly its being talked about in HR circles more and more, these talented people who value flexibility and their ability to get the job done without necessarily being so strictly overseen. They feel like they can manage their own lives.
Offers They Cant Refuse
Wise noted that attractive benefits help a companys bottom line on multiple levels, and one that shouldnt be overlooked is the cost of replacing employees who become dissatisfied and leave.
The cost to replace an employee can be anywhere from 30% to 40% of somebodys salary up to 150%, she said. Thats a tremendous number. Its kind of hidden because youre not writing a check for that number, but youre spending it on recruiting and retraining.
Thats why it makes sense, she said, even for companies who cant afford to boost salaries to try to compete in ways that dont have a major impact on bottom-line operating costs.
Even companies that do see compensation as primarily financial dont always administer it in a one-size-fits-all manner. Pay raises tied to incentives are becoming more popular; according to a recent AIM survey, 42% of companies report that nonexempt and hourly employees are eligible for incentives, compared with 35% in 2007.
One type of incentive rewards long-term commitment, Wise said, noting that many companies use this sort of discriminatory benefit to target their most valuable employees.
I might offer you a package, an incentive that says, if you stay with me five years or 10 years, at the end of that time, Ill give you a raise that might be equal to 50% of the base salary, something like that, said Wise. Because its on an individual basis, as an employer, I cant take a tax deduction for what Im spending, but if youve got skills and talents that I need to have, I can tie you to my organization for five or 10 years.
That arrangement appeals to people at certain stages of life, she added. For example, someone with two kids, ages 4 and 6, is going to be staring down college costs in a little more than a decade. By offering to double his starting salary after 10 years, he can bring a little financial-planning reassurance to the worker, while not having to worry about losing the assets he brings to the company. Employees nearing retirement age might also find value in such an offer.
It gives him an incentive to stay while not taking an immediate hit to the companys bottom line, Wise explained.
All those who spoke with BusinessWest agreed that, whatever shape the economy is in, employers are serious about recruitment and retention.
For some companies, that means offering signing bonuses, tuition reimbursement, or even day care. In addition, Reynolds has been pleasantly surprised by the response of employers to the states health insurance mandate, which requires all companies of a certain size to provide coverage to its employees or pay a fair-share assessment of up to $295 per non-covered employee.
Thats a lot less expensive than providing group insurance, but were not seeing employers stopping coverage, she said. Some have, on an isolated basis, but not anything like we feared.
It all goes back to keeping employees happy, Wise said.
With the skills gap were facing, you cant afford to lose people, she said. And if you have an opening, you have to make sure to bring the right person in.
A person who will no doubt be asking, whats in it for me?
Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]
The Dangers of Estate-planning Software Programs
The recent sophistication of software has contributed to an increase in homegrown estate planning. These mass marketers of legal services misinform people into thinking that they are saving money and that they are receiving sound legal advice. This is simply not true.
As an estate-planning attorney, I felt an obligation to learn more about these sellers of legal advice. As such, I visited the Web sites and researched the software applications of several well-known estate-planning services.
One of them called itself a Legal Documentation Service. The service purported to save time and money on common legal matters … and create reliable legal documents from your home or office. Another purported to help protect your family and your assets, and save on legal fees.
The process of preparing the documents among these companies was similar. Each required you to answer a series of questions, either online or via their software package, and your documents are prepared either instantaneously or within 48 hours. However, one software-based company suggests that you read an accompanying book, which is hundreds of pages in length. Although, you may not need to read the entire book, I do not understand how the public can decipher which parts to skip over and which to read thoroughly with only a basic understanding of estate planning. This seems like a hefty burden on the consumer and not quite the time-saver that the company publicizes.
Intrigued, I moved forward. I started answering the will questionnaires of several services, and due to my own thorough understanding of the intricacies of estate planning, I was perplexed that my options were limited on these questionnaires. Among other issues, I specifically wanted to better understand my options regarding the inheritance distribution alternatives for my children:
So, I called the telephone number provided on one of the Web sites, and I spoke to a young woman who was very pleasant. But when I asked if she could provide me with examples of how I could distribute my assets to my children in the event that I survive my spouse, she simply stated, you can distribute any way you wish.
Although this may be somewhat accurate, it did not truly answer my inquiry. I then asked if she was a practicing attorney, and she answered that she was not.
This was just the first of many questions that I had about the questionnaire. Another question regarded whether or not I was required to state my desire for organ donation and cremation in my will instead of my health care proxy. The representative answered that I am only able to insert this information into the will. Many attorneys suggest that this language be included in ones health care proxy because that document is usually reviewed prior to the will.
As such, the will may be read by your loved ones well after your body has been buried, and therefore, your intent will not be adhered to. But several of these companies do not allow this flexibility.
Additionally, with many services, nothing prevented me from including a disabled child, who would be receiving governmental assistance, as a beneficiary under the will. As experienced estate planners know, the receipt of assets by a disabled individual on governmental assistance most often disqualifies them from governmental benefits.
One company uses the tag line: We Put the Law on Your Side, a claim that a law firm cannot make under the marketing rules that govern the legal profession. Nevertheless, the company claims to be a leading legal Web site. Huh? The people that work on the documents are not attorneys, and they cannot, by law, give legal advice.
To further illustrate this point, one Texas court went so far as to declare that a software-based mass marketer of legal documents constituted the unauthorized practice of law because its process was too interactive and sophisticated.
Most companies do a review, making sure that all answers are completed in the questionnaire and that all spelling is correct. These minor tasks are akin to a very narrow role as a proofreader of the consumers data entries. This has to be limited by law, since no attorney is involved in this process.
These companies hope that you will never read their disclaimer or terms-of-use disclosure. One such disclaimer provides that they are not providing any legal advice, that their documents may not work in your situation, that their documents may not be valid in your state, and that you agree to hold them harmless for any consequences resulting from your choice to use their services rather than seeking the advice of an attorney. Another disclaimer provides that this product is not a substitute for an attorney and weve done our best but thats not the same as personalized legal advice and if you want help understanding how the law applies to your particular circumstances, or deciding which estate-planning documents are best for you and your family, you should consider seeing a qualified attorney.
How can this provide the end-user with the confidence that their estate-planning documents are both legally binding and appropriate to their particular situation?
Probate law is strict and unforgiving. Good estate-planning attorneys work diligently to keep abreast of changes in the law through memberships in such organizations as the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Inc. and the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County, and through extensive, continuous reading and legal research. Creating your own legal documents provides a false sense of security, and the inaccuracies are usually discovered only when it is too late to do anything about them.
Most people need the perspective that an impartial, experienced estate-planning attorney provides. You are playing with fire if you engage the services of these companies for the following reasons:
Another inaccuracy that I found regarded the fee structure. One company claims that, with [the companys] lawyer-free service you can save up to 85% off the rates an attorney would charge for the same procedure. Upon a review of what the company claimed to be an estimated fee that an attorney would charge for the preparation of the will, I was flabbergasted. I can only speak for my firm, but our fee is approximately 4.5 times less than the estimated fee quoted on the Web site.
Moreover, one company suggests that its service is equivalent to the services of an attorney, which is undoubtedly inaccurate as outlined above. In fact, a Colorado attorney boasts that he loves these online and software companies because he has been retained by individuals to correct mistakes included in documents prepared through one of these companies, and he has earned more than what he would have if he had performed the work in the first place.
In conclusion, the subjects that typically matter the most to you your health, your family, and your finances warrant the attention of an experienced, trained professional who will put their bar license and malpractice insurance on the line to provide you with the advice, counsel, opinions, and recommendations that are essential to drafting a proper estate plan.
People generally create estate plans for the peace of mind that they provide. The question is whether or not a software program and/or an unlicensed, uninsured, and largely unregulated document preparer can provide you with the peace of mind that your estate plan was done appropriately and addresses your specific needs.
Todd C. Ratner is an estate planning, business, and real estate attorney with the Springfield-based law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and recipient of Boston Magazines 2007 Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars award; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]
MassMutual Promotes Two in Succession Plan
SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual promoted its two co-chief operating officers to new roles recently as part of a succession plan for the $500 billion company. Roger Crandall took over as president on Dec. 1, taking the role formerly held by Stuart Reese, who will remain as chairman and chief executive officer. Meanwhile, William Galvin Jr. will take over on Jan. 1 as CEO of Oppenheimer Funds Inc. in New York City. He will replace John Mirphy, who will continue as chairman of Oppenheimer Funds until his retirement at the end of 2009. Galvin is currently the executive vice president of MassMutual’s U.S. Insurance Group.
Big Y, HNE Produce Video on Healthy Food Shopping
SPRINGFIELD — Knowing that good health begins with solid choices of food, Health New England (HNE) and Big Y World Class Markets have come together to produce a new DVD titled Healthy Directions/Living Well Eating Smart — A Grocery Store Tour. In the video, Carrie Taylor, Big Y’s registered dietitian, leads viewers through each section of the market, discussing smart meal choices and providing tips on becoming a savvy shopper. “We hope people see that eating healthy is easy, affordable, and delicious,” she said. The idea for the DVD began with live grocery store tours that HNE conducts at Big Y stores for its members who have diabetes. “During our tours, shoppers would see us and ask if they could tag along,” said Lynn Ostrowski, director of Brand and Corporate Relations at HNE. “We realized that everyone wants to learn how to make better food choices.” The DVD is free, and can be obtained by calling HNE at (413) 233-3032, E-mailing [email protected], or E-mailing Big Y at [email protected].
WNEC Receives Distinction
SPRINGFIELD — Western New England College (WNEC) is featured in the first edition of the Colleges of Distinction guidebook, a new publication that provides a fresh look at some of America’s higher education institutions. Based on the opinions of guidance counselors, educators, and admissions professionals, the guidebook honors colleges that excel in key areas of educational quality and appeal to students’ unique and varied interests. To qualify for inclusion in the guidebook, WNEC was evaluated for its performance in the “Four Distinctions” — Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Communities, and Successful Outcomes. Guidance counselors and admissions professionals around the country recommended WNEC in all four categories. WNEC was also noted for its active student body, devoted faculty, and academic programs based on developing collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.
BMC Unit Earns Beacon Award
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Medical Center’s Daly 6-2 surgical intermediate care unit has joined the ranks of the top health care teams in the nation, becoming one of only two such units ever to win the American Assoc. of Critical Care Nurses’ Beacon Award. The honor is a first for an intermediate-care unit at Baystate, and the first such award for an intermediate-care unit in all of New England. Intermediate-care units are reserved for patients who are too sick for a standard medical-surgical unit but do not require the level of care provided in an ICU. As recipient of a Beacon, Daly 6-2 met rigid criteria for excellence, adhering to high standards of quality in leadership, recruiting, and training nurses, and caring for patients and their families.
Springfield College Raises $44.5 Million
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College recently wrapped up its largest fundraising campaign in its 123-year history with a record $44.5 million pledged, exceeding its goal by more than 10%. The college entered the public phase of the campaign in 2005 with $20 million raised. Last year, The Kresge Foundation announced a $1 million challenge grant if the college were to raise $39 million by June 30, 2008. The challenge was met. Altogether, the college received nine gifts of $1 million or more, 67 gifts of $100,000 or more, and 376 contributions of $10,000 or greater. There were over 15,000 donors from all U.S. states and 15 foreign countries. Supported by campaign funds, the college constructed its Wellness Center and Field House, expanded and renovated Schoo-Bemis Science Center to create a modern, interdisciplinary science teaching facility, and broke ground for the Campus Union complex. College officials also established 50 endowed scholarships and 16 named funds supporting the college.
Giving Tree Nearing Milestone
SPRINGFIELD — Hasbro Games recently launched the 24th annual Hasbro Children’s Giving Tree at the Eastfield Mall on Boston Road to make the holidays a bit brighter for underprivileged children in the area. Leaders from Hasbro Games, the United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Salvation Army of the Greater Springfield Area, and Rachel’s Table were all on hand for the festivities, which included 60 children singing holiday songs and bringing donated food items. The Children’s Giving Tree campaign, which runs through Dec. 12, provides food, games, and toys to children in need who reside in the Greater Springfield area. Hasbro officials also encourage area residents to drop off nonperishable food items to the mall during the campaign, which will be distributed to Rachel’s Table.
Captain Charles Leonard House Unveils Improvements
AGAWAM — Agawam’s historic Captain Charles Leonard House opened its doors to the public on Dec. 7 to celebrate the holiday season and the near-completion of an extensive capital-improvement project. The improvements include extensive mechanical and structural work, as well as the new historically accurate exterior color scheme and foundation plantings. Inside, the Old Kitchen has been redecorated to better represent its original use as a tap room. Plans for an extensive landscape-restoration project featuring native species, historically appropriate plantings, and an outdoor reception area was also on display. That project has been put on hold, as state funding was recently cut by Gov. Deval Patrick due to the current financial crisis.
ACCGS Government Reception
The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield recently staged its annual Government Reception at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield. Attendees had the opportunity to meet with dozens of elected and appointed officials and discuss issues critical to the business community. Clockwise, from bottom left: Denise Vogel, Peter Clark, and Edgar Alejandro pose for a picture with state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin (third from left); Janis Santos, director of Head Start, and Thomas Burton, president of Hampden Bank, talk legislative issues with Springfield City Councilor Bud Williams (left); Ellen Cumming and Joe Zakowski of Gold Sponsor Verizon with state Rep. Michael Kane (center).
Janice Ward, Esq. has been named Vice President and Trust Officer at Greenfield Savings Bank.
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Kevin R. Day has been elected Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer for Florence Savings Bank.•••••
Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America in Pittsfield announced the following:• Donna K. Owens has been named Director of Multi-Life Segment Marketing. In her role, Owens will identify strategic product, program, and service opportunities for expanding penetration into the worksite customer market by Guardian agencies and other distribution channels through Berkshire Life’s DI@Work offering;
• Stephen J. Prunier has been named Second Vice President and Counsel. He will oversee Berkshire Life’s litigation practice, and
• Laura B. Rosenthal, FSA, MAAA, has been named Actuary. As Actuary, Rosenthal is responsible for modeling field compensation for Berkshire’s products, as well as overseeing the integrity of experience analysis for pricing, valuation, and regulatory financial analysis.
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Bacon Wilson, P.C. of Springfield announced that eight of its attorneys have been distinguished as New England “SuperLawyers” and another six have been distinguished as “Rising Stars” in the November issue of Boston magazine:• Attorney Paul R. Salvage has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is the co-chairman of the Insolvency Department. His practice deals with bankruptcy matters, representing both creditors and individuals or companies facing financial difficulties;
• Attorney Gary L. Fialky has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is chairman of the Corporate Department. His practice is concentrated in business and banking law, with an emphasis on business formations, mergers and acquisitions;
• Attorney Michael B. Katz has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is co-chairman of the Bankruptcy Department. His practice is concentrated in business and insolvency law;
• Attorney Paul R. Rothschild has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is chairman of the Litigation Department. His practice is concentrated in general litigation, as well as personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and employer/employee disputes;
• Attorney Stephen N. Krevalin has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is the firm’s Managing Partner. His areas of expertise include general business matters, real estate, and domestic relations. He also has extensive experience in the area of shopping center/mall representation;
• Attorney Hyman G. Darling has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is chairman of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Departments. His areas of expertise include all areas of estate planning, probate and elder law;
• Attorney Francis R. Mirkin has been named a “SuperLawyer.” Mirkin’s areas of practice include commercial and residential real estate and general business matters, as well as consistent involvement in commercial loan documentation, representing numerous area financial lending institutions and businesses;
• Attorney Stephen B. Monsein has been named a “SuperLawyer.” He is a member of the Domestic Relations and Litigation Departments. His work is primarily concentrated on divorce cases, but he also handles personal injury cases and does OUI defense work;
• Attorney Gina B. Barry has been named a “Rising Star.” She is a member of the Estate Planning/Elder Law Department whose practice includes estate-planning issues. Additional areas of expertise include guardianship, conservatorship, planning for long-term care, and residential real estate;
• Attorney Justin H. Dion has been named a “Rising Star.” He specializes in insolvency, business, and financial matters. In addition to handling Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcies, he also does financial planning, conducts foreclosures, and handles collection matters for lenders;
• Attorney Adam J. Basch has been named a “Rising Star.” He is a member of the Litigation Department whose areas of expertise include construction litigation, personal injury, general litigation, and commercial litigation;
• Attorney Todd C. Ratner has been named a “Rising Star.” He is a member of the Estate Planning/Elder Law Department whose practice includes estate planning issues. Additional areas of expertise include commercial and residential real estate together with general business and corporate law;
• Attorney Benjamin M. Coyle has been named a “Rising Star.” He is a member of the firm’s business and corporate, estate planning and elder, litigation, and municipal departments, and
• Attorney Mark A. Tanner has been named a “Rising Star.” He concentrates his practice in plaintiff’s personal injury, civil litigation, and land use and zoning.
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Lia sophia recently announced top honors for its Excellent Beginnings Program Achievers for their outstanding accomplishments. They are:• Michelle Gower of Chicopee, and
• Rebecca Lafleur of South Hadley.
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Allen J. Miles has been promoted to Executive Vice President at Westfield Bank. In addition to his responsibilities of managing the commercial department and the consumer loan area, Miles will be an active participant in helping to formulate the strategic direction of the bank.•••••
The Springfield Rotary Club recently awarded seven Paul Harris Awards at its 94th Paul Harris Awards Banquet. Paul Harris recipients are:• Gary P. Fishlock of Westfield;
• Susan A. Mastroianni of Agawam;
• Brian P. Sears of Springfield;
• Edward P. Sunter Jr. of East Longmeadow;
• Julianne L. Dulude of Southwick;
• Trevor J. Gay of Northampton, and
• Springfield School Volunteers.
A Paul Harris recognition is the highest honor a Rotary Club can bestow on an individual or group, who may or may not be a Rotarian.
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The UMass Amherst Alumni Assoc. recently named Anna Symington its Executive Director. Symington has been serving as vice president of the alumni association’s board of directors, has served on numerous association committees, and is a life member of the association.•••••
Glenmeadow Retirement recently announced its Board of Directors and Corporators as follows:• George C. Keady of Longmeadow, re-elected President;
• Randall Locklin of West Springfield, re-elected Vice President;
• Peter Landon of Longmeadow, re-elected Treasurer;
• Mary Downey Costello of Springfield, re-elected Clerk, and
• Mary Meehan of Longmeadow, elected board member.
All are also corporators. Newly elected Corporators are:
• Lisa Doherty of Longmeadow;
• Christopher and Patty Gill of Longmeadow;
• Howard Hausman of Longmeadow;
• John McCarthy Jr. of Ware;
• Kasha Novak of Longmeadow;
• Alice Parker of Springfield;
• Todd Ratner of Longmeadow, and
• Ann Marie Rome of Longmeadow.
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The Safety Council of Western New England announced the following:• Thomas Bonavita, safety and training manager for the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors;
• Maurice Lavoie, safety manager at Farmland Foods, was selected as the Vice Chairman, and
• Alan Stratton of Solutia was chosen as Treasurer.
Also, Dave Pasquini, Russell Fleury, and Robert Dionne were voted in as new board members. Sandi Gagner is the immediate Past Chair.
Vascular Surgery Isn’t Just Skin-deep for Dr. Robert Goodman
Dr. Robert Goodman knows what some people think when they hear about removing varicose veins. In a quarter-century in practice as a vascular surgeon, hes heard it often.
A lot of people out there think were treating just the cosmetic aspect, the spider veins. Those are important, and we do treat the cosmetic aspect, but its not our main focus, said Goodman, owner of Goodman Vein and Laser Center, based in West Springfield.
We treat the bigger varicose veins and the vein systems a little deeper in the leg. We look for the root cause of the problem not just the cosmetic aspect, but whats causing it in the first place. We want long-term results, not short-term.
When someone suffers from a varicose vein, he explained, the blood is not moving through the leg efficiently and recirculating.
And if its not getting recirculated, its not going to the lungs and getting oxygenated, he continued. Its unclean blood. And if it stays in the legs, now you have more volume that youre supposed to, which can cause the fluid to leak out of the vessels into the soft tissues. Thats why you get discoloration or ulcers.
From a clinical perspective, the arteries bring oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the extremities, while veins channel oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart. When the veins become congested with blood which typically occurs in the legs they may manifest as small red, blue, or purple veins on the surface of the skin, which are spider veins; varicose veins are larger, distended veins located deeper under the skin.
Goodmans work has ranged from varicose-vein treatment to arterial-bypass surgery and stroke-prevention surgery, but in recent years, he has directed more of his attention toward veins.
As technology has improved over the past 10 years, my interest in the vein side has increased, and my focus has shifted more to that area, Goodman said. I still do arterial work and enjoy doing that, but my focus has generally moved to the vein side.
Likewise, that new technology has made vein surgery more palatable to people who suffer from varicose veins and other conditions.
What before was a very rough operation the old-fashioned stripping and ligation has become, with the advent of lasers, a very sophisticated, outpatient procedure thats safer and has less risk and less recurrence than the old-fashioned operation, he said.
In this issue, BusinessWest pays a visit to Goodmans office, where healing is not just skin-deep.
Laser Precision
Doctors have been treating varicose and spider veins for long before Goodman entered the field, and there was never a shortage of patients who wanted to look and feel better, even though the procedure was typically more invasive and painful in the past than it is today.
The patients have always been there, he said, but the technology has improved and increased in scope, and has let us become more sophisticated in our diagnosis and treatment. In the old days, doctors might even say, theres nothing we can do for your legs; wear stockings and deal with it. Nowadays, were able to say, we believe your legs hurt, and this isnt cosmetic, and we can help you.
The aftermath of surgery has changed for the better, too. You dont miss any work; theres no downtime, he said. In the old days, youd have to rest for two weeks, and you felt miserable. Now, patients walk right out of here, and we encourage them to go to the mall and walk around. We want them back at work the next day. Its a much less invasive procedure.
Heres why: vein stripping, as its known the dominant way to treat varicose veins before the new wave of technology involves actually opening the leg and surgically removing the offending veins. Thats still an option for some patients, but most also have the options of sclerotherapy and laser treatment.
Sclerotherapy, which can be used to treat both varicose and spider veins, employs a tiny needle to inject a medication that irritates the lining of the veins. In response, the veins collapse and are reabsorbed, and the surface veins are no longer visible. Goodman can also perform ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy to treat veins far enough below the surface of the skin that they would otherwise require surgery.
Endovenous laser treatment, meanwhile, is another alternative to surgical stripping of the greater saphenous vein, the large, superficial vein that runs along the thigh and leg. A small laser fiber is inserted, usually through a needle stick in the skin, into the damaged vein. Pulses of laser light are delivered inside the vein, which causes the vein to collapse and seal shut.
We can accomplish the same thing as stripping without all the trauma, he said. It takes 20 minutes, and the patient can drive himself home. Theyre fully ambulatory, and can be back at work the next day.
Ready to Run
Goodman, who is board-certified as a vascular surgeon, said that expertise gives him a diagnostic advantage over other doctors, including general surgeons and dermatologists, who perform vein work.
The symptoms arent just cosmetic, he said. You might have heaviness, tightness, or swelling and itching because the fluid is leaking into the skin. There are a lot of symptoms that go along with this that a lot of people dont recognize. Restless leg syndrome can be due to vein disease. Theres a lot going on here.
Our focus is on the medical aspects of vein disease. If someones leg is bothering them, we take that seriously. By treating the veins, you can significantly improve circulation, and that leads to better leg health while youre improving the circulation of blood throughout the body. So, medically, there are huge advantages to doing this.
The job satisfaction isnt bad, either.
Its a lot of fun, Goodman said. Its very interesting from a technical standpoint, but the most exciting thing about this job is seeing people who sometimes dont even realize how bad their legs were, and then after the procedure, they say, oh my God, thats great. Youre helping people who werent getting help before.
Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]
‘The Creative Economy’
Dec. 9: The Studio Arts Building at UMass Amherst will be the setting for an informative program on how the ‘creative economy’ plays an increasingly important role in Western Mass., in job creation, revenue growth, and quality of life. Speakers will be artists Josh Simpson and Scott Prior, who will speak about their work and their marketing efforts, beginning at 6 p.m. The cost is $25. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org.
Boston Wine Festival
Jan. 10-April 3: Hosted by the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, the Boston Wine Festival offers more than 50 wine and food pairing events. The schedule of events includes a variety of evening receptions, wine seminars, dinners, and themed Sunday brunches. For details on the festival, visit www.bostonwinefestival.net.
Long-term Planning Seminar
Jan. 13: As part of a joint effort to educate the public about the importance of long-term care planning and insurance, and the role it can play in helping to finance assisted living, Rockridge Retirement Community on Coles Meadow Road in Northampton will host an informational seminar to increase long-term care insurance awareness. Richard Eisenberg of Eisenberg Associates Insurance Agency Inc. will present the 4 p.m. seminar, which will discuss the long-term care planning process, long-term care insurance, and assisted living. The seminar is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required by calling (413) 586-2902, ext. 23.
CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Leonor D. Leandro v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Curry Automotive, LLC
Allegation: Lemon Law, breach of contract and implied warranty: $20,000
Filed: 11/20/08
FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
John C. Osowski v. Monoko Inc.
Allegation: Defendant negligently maintained and inspected scaffolding and did not provide proper safety harness. Scaffolding failed and plaintiff fell, sustaining injuries: $38,713
Filed: 11/06/08
Roger Flanders v. Golden Leaf Restaurant
Allegation: Plaintiff tripped and fell on rolled up carpet, causing injury: $101,824
Filed: 10/30/08
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Adelaida Gonzalez v. Federal Express Ground Package Systems Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 10/13/08
Cynthia Davis v. Cumberland Farms
Allegation: Negligence causing slip and fall: $4,948.01
Filed: 11/07/08
Fred Pearson v. Allied Heating & Air Conditioning
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 10/15/08
CNA Corporation v. Stony Hill Sand & Gravel Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of back rent owed: $148,017.07
Filed: 11/10/08
Jose Rosario v. Joseph M. Decenzo, M.D.
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $91,000
Filed: 10/17/08
New England Book Service Inc. v. Higher Learning Supply Co., LLC & Prissm Management Group Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $62,393.84
Filed: 10/20/08
Michael R. Solin v. Samir A. Mujalli, M.D.
Allegation: Medical malpractice:
$1.1 million
Filed: 11/04/08
Paul Bradas Jr. v. Carrabba’s
Allegation: Negligence/personal injury: $13,642.70
Filed: 10/30/08
New England Granite v. Spartan Brake & Muffler Shops
Allegation: Negligence of defendant’s employees, causing explosion and fire: $219,254
Filed: 11/03/08
HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Wayne F. Farr et al v. Behavioral Health Network Inc.
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $25,000+
Filed: 11/10/08
HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
The Darcy Company v. Fresh Supreme Supermarket
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services: $4,771.58
Filed: 10/02/08
NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Aarco Products Inc. v. Action Display Services
Allegation: Breach of contract: $4,786
Filed: 11/10/08
SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Francis E. Owczarski v. Good Deal Auto
Allegation: Breach of contract and failure to repay loan: $4,000
Filed: 10/07/08
Mary Lou Sanborn v. H.L. Padden Electrical Contractors Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $12,057.26
Filed: 10/20/08
Statewide Mechanical Contractors Inc. v. Pioneer Valley Winnelson Co. Inc.
Allegation: Breach of implied warranty and merchantability. Plaintiff incurred additional costs due to defective pipe supplied by defendant: $49,875
Filed: 10/16/08
WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Jorge and Nancy Santiago v. Hillcrest Construction & Ben Hallmark
Allegation: Breach of contract and damages to property during construction: $2,000+
Filed: 11/12/08
Companies Develop Unique Plans to Recycle and Reduce Waste
You may remember a lot of talk about the paperless office back in the 80s. Personal computers were becoming popular, and paperless was a way to describe the office of the future, with data stored in hard drives, not filing cabinets. The hope was that automation would make paper redundant, but that never happened.
In reality, people used their new, high-speed photocopiers to print even more things on paper. Consequently, the term paperless got sent to the archives.
Now, oddly enough, the term is resurfacing. Only this time its accompanied by words like renewable, sustainable, and recyclable.
In fact, if you work in an office where people are talking about being paperness, chances are good youll also find recycling bins in the cafeteria and ceramic coffee mugs in the break room. Paperless is once again a part of the office of the future.
And this trend is just part of a green tidal wave of ideas and strategies that companies are applying toward reducing waste and making work environments a little more healthy for employees. In Western Mass. businesses take their green initiatives seriously; depending on the product it offers, each company has its own unique challenges to consider when developing programs to benefit the environment.
In this issue, BusinessWest looks at some of the many manifestations of going green, and how companies of all types are expressing their concern for the planet and its future.
Green Badges of Honor
Its impossible to talk about green business without mentioning the crème-de-la-crème of greenness: LEED certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Its a program run by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides a rating system for environmentally sustainable construction.
An actual LEED building is a rare thing, because it means tossing out everything and starting from scratch. Only new commercial construction projects and major renovations carry LEED ratings. And right now there are only about 121 LEED-certified commercial buildings in the U.S.
But for companies that arent ready for the wrecking ball, theres LEED-EB, which is a certification for existing buildings. Instead of design and construction, it focuses on operations and maintenance, addressing things like cleaning solutions, furniture, and recycling programs.
If youre not up for a full-on certification, dont dismay. LEED-EB isnt the only show in town. Green programs are as unique and varied as the businesses that create them. Some programs are more formal than others, and what a company chooses to focus on has much to do with the product or service it offers.
For MassMutual, LEED-EB certification fits in well with cost-cutting plans already in place. The financial-services giant, which has focused for years on ways to reduce and recycle, is now targeting the coveted certification for its 11-building headquarters in Springfield.
Many of our buildings were built in 1927, so they have to meet certain standards to become LEED-EB certified, said Sean Anderson, associate vice president and director for corporate green initiatives for MassMutual. We have to qualify for a certain number of points, so weve evaluated our campus and targeted what to go after.
Just now getting into the year-long process of certification, MassMutual has already done things like implementing more-efficient lighting and switching to low-flow toilets that flush with less water. Its even installed green water chillers, so its drinking fountains are more water-efficient.
Its also implementing a host of strategies for boosting energy efficiency in its data centers, which is a big thing for financial services institutions because of the huge amount of data they manage. These include such things as server virtualization, optimized rack design, and better cooling systems.
The firm has also switched to recycled paper for printers and copiers. And to promote better air quality, it has started using non-toxic cleaning products, opted for recycled carpets, and brought in eco-friendly furniture.
According to Anderson, the savings add up; in addition to lower electricity bills, the company hopes to save 5 million gallons of water a year as a result of replacing 500 plumbing fixtures in all its buildings.
If theres one area where MassMutual shines, its employee involvement. Eight months ago, it established Green Teams, groups of employees whose job it is to think up new ways to reduce waste. They came up with some good ideas.
Green Teams helped us to get rid of Styrofoam mugs in the cafeteria, said Anderson. We used to go through 17,000 Styrofoam cups a month. Now we give our employees green mugs. If they use a green mug, they get free refills and a discount on the price of coffee.
Green Teams also prompted the company to offer reusable ceramic plates and to recycle plastic water bottles more effectively in the cafeteria.
According to Anderson, green initiatives matter to employees. People really do care about these issues, he said, adding that its also good for recruitment and business. Employees have a choice in who they want to work for, and customers make choices, too.
As for businesses considering joining the green bandwagon, Anderson offers a bit of advice: start small, start big, but just start, he said. You dont have to achieve all your objectives in one day. It took us many years to come up with the program we have today.
Sawing Away the Excess
Conserving is a hot-button topic for manufacturing companies. Energy usage and waste tie directly into profits. This is why saw blade maker Lenox in East Longmeadow takes its green goals so seriously. And being an engineering-oriented company, it meticulously measures the results of its conservation efforts.
We set very clear goals, explained Pedro Caceres, global vice president of operations for industrial products and services at Lenox. We want a 5% net reduction in energy per year, with a goal in five years to get a third of all our energy from renewable sources. The company has set similar goals for reducing waste material.
So far, it is hitting the marks. This year alone, Lenox reduced its energy consumption by a whopping 8%. It did this by replacing old machining equipment with new, energy-efficient models, and getting employees to do their part. In addition, workers are asked to set machines to idle when theyre not being used.
Its the same principle as asking someone to switch off the lights when they leave a room, explained Caceres. We use reinforcement to reward good habits. That way, the employee owns it.
Another way Lenox reduces energy is by installing motion sensors on lights, so they switch off when rooms go empty. At one point while talking with BusinessWest, Caceres said, Im sitting in the dark right now. The light went out because I havent moved in 10 minutes.
Interestingly, Lenox was the one company BusinessWest spoke to that did have a paperless office. No paper, emphasized Caceres; even its reams of training material are stored on computers. The only thing employees can print is the certificate that says they completed the program successfully.
Traditional paperwork is now processed electronically. When it comes to purchasing supplies, Lenox relies on a sophisticated automated workflow system. Our purchase orders get E-mailed to whomever needs to sign off on them, then they go to our suppliers. The signatures and even the archiving is done digitally, said Caceres.
Customer orders are processed digitally as well. Lenox relies on a CPFR (collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment) system for supply-chain efficiency. The system even gives them a window into customer inventories so they can anticipate future orders.
To reduce material waste, Lenox has done things like calculate the ideal length of steel coil it needs to minimize the amount of scrap material when making saw blades.
Eventually, the company hopes to switch its offices to solar energy. (The manufacturing areas require a lot more electricity to run.) When you install solar panels, its usually a five-year payback, which is out of the range of what most companies consider feasible, said Caceres. Were working to get this to a three-year payback.
Caceres feels its up to businesses to set an example in conservation. Companies have to take a leadership role in doing the right thing, he stressed. If we dont use our resources properly, then eventually, we wont have a sustainable system.
Sacking the Plastic
Grocery stores get stuck with lots of old food and the leftover containers that the food arrives in. Big Y Foods Inc. has a tradition of recycling what it doesnt use. Its been composting for more than a decade.
We compost things that are too old to donate, explained Sandy Giancola, facilities maintenance manager at Big Y. That includes things from our product department and our bakery, along with the waxed cardboard our produce gets delivered in. Our food waste goes to a farmer in Greenfield, who gets stuff from 20 Big Y stores in Massachusetts.
Since last year, Big Y has been implementing an innovative plastic shrink-wrap recycling program. Most of its products arrive in large palettes covered in shrink-wrap plastic. Now it sends that plastic to a company in Virginia that recycles it to make composite decks, rails, and fences.
Big Y is also going green when it comes to bagging groceries. Customers are now allowed to bring in their own bags. Or they can purchase green renewable bags at the store. This helps to eliminate the use of plastic bags that ultimately hurt marine life and clog landfills.
Were working to get as many programs on board as possible, said Giancola. Were trying to stay as proactive as we can and do whats good for the environment.
Whether its taking plastic out of the landfills or paper out of the office, clearly, a little resourcefulness is not a bad thing.v
Springfield Law Firm Forges Partnership with Soldier On
Earlier this year, partners with the Springfield-based law firm Robinson Donovan initiated a search for a project or a partnership (thats a better term) that would take its involvement with the community to a new and higher level. It found such an opportunity with the Northampton-based nonprofit Solider On, which is committed to fighting homelessness among veterans, as well as the many issues that contribute to it. Its early in the process, and the work hasnt officially started yet, but the affiliation holds enormous promise for enabling both entities to meet some ambitious goals.
John Downing says he walked into the conference room at Robinson Donovan with what would have to be considered modest expectations.
I thought Id meet some starchy lawyers who would say theyd be willing to help with a little pro-bono legal work, but would want to stay at arms-length from the people I serve, said Downing, director of an organization called Solider On, referring to what was supposed to be a 30-minute meeting with several partners with the Springfield-based firm last spring.
What he walked out with close to two hours later was something much different something much more. He had in his briefcase what amounted to a commitment to a partnership, one he firmly believes will help take his organization to some places that he might not even have dreamed of just over seven years ago when he interviewed for the job he now holds.
And thats saying something, because Downing can dream pretty big.
For example, he doesnt simply want to provide a roof over the heads of some homeless veterans thats one of the primary missions of this Northampton-based outfit, formerly known as United Veterans of America. He wants them to own the roof!
Indeed, he has plans in place for what will be called limited equity co-op apartments in Pittsfield that veterans, many of them struggling to keep their lives together, will own. These would be the first such units in the country, and they could potentially serve as a model for other regions.
Thats one of many ambitious projects Downing has in his head or working their way to the drawing board. And he expects lawyers at Robinson Donovan to help make them reality through avenues of assistance, the sum of which will likely go well beyond a few hours of pro-bono work.
They met us where we needed to be met, said Downing. I could see that they really cared about the issue, and that they understood the intensity of need that we had that we were operating essentially with social workers and clinicians, and we had a big business proposition to handle and were bereft of experience in that area. They wanted to have an impact.
And this is what the principals at the 142-year-old firm were looking for, said Managing Partner Jeff McCormick. He told BusinessWest that the firm wanted to take its community involvement to a new and higher level, and several months ago commenced an indepth search for a non-profit with which to partner.
Thats a term McCormick used often as he relayed the story of how the firm, toward the start of its search, was introduced to Soldier On and its mission by Darby OBrien, owner of the marketing firm that bears his name and handles matters for the firm. OBrien had done some work for Soldier On over the years, and came to understand that the agency would need some help getting to where it wanted to go.
This led to that aforementioned meeting with Downing, who, said McCormick, conveyed a blend of commitment and passion that intrigued the assembled partners and gave them a firm understanding of an often overlooked problem in this country: the plight of homeless veterans.
The partnership is still what both McCormick and Downing called a work in progress, with no actual projects yet, but plenty of anticipation about what can happen when the two entities get down to business and actually join forces.
Deploying the Troops
Downing, who had been doing re-integration after-care work for the Berkshire County Sheriffs Office essentially placing formerly incarcerated veterans into a homeless facility told BusinessWest that he wont soon forget many of the specifics of his interview for his current position. That includes the date and time Sept. 11, 2001, at 4:30 in the afternoon.
He clearly recalls one question and his answer as he sought the directorship of what was the first homeless shelter to be located on the grounds of a Veterans Administration hospital (this one in Leeds), but that had fallen on some very hard times due largely to poor management.
Someone asked me what I thought I could bring to the job, he remembered. I told them that everything I had done in my life until then had brought me to that point. I said I had the skills and the talent to do the job, and that if they gave me power to hire and fire as well as a simple mission statement to hold me accountable to that in a year Id have that place going where it wanted to go.
And they bought it.
Thus far, Downing has delivered on his pledge. He cleaned house literally and figuratively firing 13 of the 16 employees and replacing them with individuals who believed in what I wanted to do, while also transforming the shelter into what he called a Holiday Inn where people are really treated like guests.
Today, the shelter, with 162 beds, is beyond capacity, while another, in Pittsfield, which has 62 beds and 11 studio apartments, is also full, but also handling overflow from the communitys homeless shelter.
But while reshaping those facilities, Downing said hes also made great progress in fighting the causes of homelessness, and getting vets off what he called the merry-go-round that keeps them in shelters for years. And hes making significant strides in advancing a home-ownership program that is exciting and potentially precedent-setting.
It involves limited-equity co-op apartments, the model for which is still being developed, that would house what Downing called formerly homeless veterans, a phrase he uttered with a strong dose of conviction and pride.
However, Downing knows he needs some help to make many of his visions reality, and he believes the partnership with Robinson Donovan will facilitate many of his initiatives.
So does McCormick.
Indeed, while the partnership will help Soldier On meet its aspirations, it will hopefully also enable Robinson Donovan to fulfill its goals for taking community involvement to that proverbial next level, said McCormick.
He said the firm and individual lawyers have provided pro-bono support to a host of groups and individuals from the Greater Springfield YMCA to area residents unable to afford legal representation to help them navigate Housing Court and thus keep a roof over their heads.
But it desired to go further, and launched a comprehensive search for a partnership opportunity. That search essentially ended with Downings impressive presentation, suffused with an energy that McCormick called contagious.
Hes one of the most inspiring people Ive ever met, and he has a real passion for what he does, said McCormick, adding that, with his time before the firms partners, he not only described the problem and laid out his plans to combat it, but convinced those in the room that they could, and should, play a lead role in making it happen.
We ultimately decided that this was a real opportunity for Robinson Donovan to do something good and work with a great community-based project, he continued, adding that, given the duration and intensity of the war in Iraq, not to mention previous military endeavors, there will be need for such services for years, perhaps decades, to come.
When asked how the partnership will manifest itself, McCormick said there are a number of routes it can take. He listed several possibilities, from legal work on veteran-owned businesses to contractual assistance with the many housing initiatives that Downing has planned, to perhaps some financial support for marketing efforts that will help raise awareness of the organization and its mission.
Were still in the planning stages, and sometimes the biggest battle is getting things organized with regard to what the relationship is going to be, he explained. But weve committed certainly to using some of our marketing budget to help increase awareness of Soldier On and the issue of homelessness among veterans, and to provide our expertise to advance some of these projects.
United Front
Summing up how the partnership between Robinson Donovan and Soldier On came to be, McCormick said that he and his fellow partners are open-minded, but also quite diligent about choosing projects and partners that will enable the firm to make a difference in the community and not simply gain some publicity.
This was not something we entered into lightly, he explained. I see this as a long-term commitment, and thats one of the things I stressed to the partners. This isnt something where you go in thinking youll get some bang for the buck and a little exposure. Thats not what were doing were in this for the long haul.
Which is good, because so is Downing and his staff at Soldier On. Hes gone well beyond turning a troubled homeless shelter into the equivalent of a Holiday Inn. Hes put some ultra-ambitious plans on the table to effectively wage a fight against homelessness that will be fought on several fronts.
He knows it will take time, energy, and commitment to get all done as well as a real partnership.
And now he has one.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
The saga of the so-called Q microbe, the micro-organism that could dramatically alter the course of ethanol production, remains one of the most compelling research and development stories in business today.
The problem is, it will soon be some other regions story.
Specifically, Worcesters. Those developing the Q microbe announced just over a week ago that, while they would love to stay in the area, where the microbe was discovered (near the Quabbin Reservoir, hence the name) and where many researchers live and work, the facilities and workforce are apparently lacking, thus forcing them to go elsewhere for the next phases of this ambitious project.
This isnt the first time the region has lost a biotech firm on the rise to the Worcester area, and this announcement made by the principals of Qteros, formerly SunEthanol, could not have been considered a real surprise. But it still hurts.
Actually, this loss is especially painful.
Why? First, there was the promise of new jobs as the concept worked its way through the R&D stage. There would also have been exposure for this region, which is much-needed as it attempts to develop new clusters in the broad technology sector and create new sources of jobs to replace those being lost in traditional manufacturing and other sectors.
But there was also the pride factor, for lack of a better phrase. This is a potentially game-changing development, as they say in research, and it was unfolding right here in the Pioneer Valley. This was going to be a great story for the company, its leaders, UMass (where much of the research is taking place), and the region as a whole.
It will still be a great story it just wont be ours.
And this has many people saying that economic-development leaders could have and should have done more to keep the company in this area code. This is easy to say (one can always do more), but were not sure anyone here could have done enough to change this outcome.
We needed to move fast, and there really wasnt a facility here, Susan Leschine, chief scientist for Qteros, told the local press while explaining the move to Worcester County, juxtaposed against news that the company had received $25 million in next-stage funding.
Reading between the lines of the statements made by those involved, it seems clear that those at Qteros simply got a better offer probably a much better offer to move east, where there are large research facilities and, according to many in the industry, a deeper pool of labor to tap.
While being disappointed with this news as economic development leaders say they are they should also be determined not to let something like this happen again.
The Worcester area already has an infrastructure in place, as well as a critical mass of companies in this field and talented workers. The Valley? Well, its working on all that.
And the lesson to be learned from all this is to keep working on it, so that the next time a company is in the position Qteros is in now, the region stands a fighting chance of keeping it here.
New UMass Chancellor Robert Holub told BusinessWest recently that he is committed to taking the university to the top tier among the nations research universities. To do that, he and others at the school will have to work with area ecomomic-development leaders, area businesses, and other colleges to create that infrastructure and workforce that Western Mass. currently lacks.
By doing all this, the Valley can not only retain future companies like Qteros, it can possibly attract some from other regions, like Worcester.
The loss of Qteros will sting for some time, but this setback will be even more profound if area leaders dont answer the wake-up call and ultimately make the Pioneer Valley better able to compete for such companies.-
Pension and Benefits Associates Helps Employers Navigate Challenges
Mark Shea says he has always strived to provide two things to clients: knowledge and responsiveness. At a time he refers to as an unprecedented awakening of America, both services are more needed than ever.
As owner of Pension and Benefits Associates Inc. in Springfield, Shea works with area employers to craft benefit programs, including retirement plans. And these days, the picture on the street isnt pretty. Retirement accounts lost some $2 trillion in value between the summer of 2007 and October 2008, which has not only hampered families abilities to make major purchases, but in many cases is making delayed retirement a real possibility for some.
The awakening Shea refers to is the fact that most American workers are realizing for the first time the full implications of the 401(k) age specifically, the fact that they shoulder all the risk in their retirement accounts, a situation that most workers of 20 years ago would have found strange, to say the least. And that risk has hit home in a major way.
Twenty years ago, the way pension plans worked was, you worked 30 years, then got a check in your mailbox, Shea said. But the promise of working 30 years for a company and getting a guaranteed retirement check its gone.
In the past, a company would provide a pension benefit of X dollars per month, he continued. The new paradigm is, well sponsor a 401(k) plan. We may have a match, we may have a company deposit, but were not making any promises.
In other words, theres no safety net, at least in the short run, for workers who have seen, say, a 401(k) account worth $150,000 fall into the high five figures within a years time.
In the old days, a company took care of everything: your health plan, your disability plan. They werent asking people to pay more for this, more for that, Shea said. Now, people are saying, I want to stop the pain; put me in a money-market account. The volatility is gut-wrenching.
Evolving Story
The old pension system, Shea told BusinessWest, is simply not cost-effective for todays employers in the vast majority of cases, partly due to gradual changes in the tax code for businesses. The dominance of 401(k) plans, which began in the 1980s, has injected an element of uncertainty into retirement plans that didnt exist for most retirees of past generations. Its not some employer plot, he said. Its an evolution.
Its also quite a change from what the experience of Sheas own parents, both of whom, after retirement, started receiving a set amount of money each month that never varied; they could plan for their needs because they knew how much money would be available at any given time.
Under the old pension plans, the employer absorbs the market risk, he said. It could be good for them, and it could be bad. But in a 401(k) account, you put X amount of money in the cookie jar, and it goes up and down based on what the market is doing.
Back then, if there was underfunding, the company would have to put more dollars in, he continued. Today, people are at or near retirement, and they may have 30% less in their retirement account, and theyre sick over it.
Shea understands the long-term picture better than most, as the third owner, since 1998, of a business that began 63 years ago.
Today, three separate entities operate under the Pension and Benefits Associates umbrella. Shea handles employee benefits, including group life insurance, medical disability, retirement, and executive compensation. Bruce MacDonald is president of Dependable Benefits Management, which focuses on medical, dental, group life, and disability coverage, among other services, while Gregory Sheehan heads Sheehan Financial, offering wealth-management services to individuals.
All have seen dramatic shifts in their respective fields. For example, MacDonald noted how cafeteria plans have allowed companies to offer benefits to workers who would not have received them in the past.
They may also have a very transient workforce, a very large part-time workforce, he said. Benefits are typically provided to people who work full-time more than 30 hours a week, or in some cases 20. But a lot of firms have people who work steadily but at fewer hours than that. Voluntary plans provide the ability to obtain benefits in a cost-effective manner, because its billed on a group basis.
Employers also offer post-retirement health benefits far less often than they used to, Shea noted.
People in their 60s cant retire because they need health insurance, he said, adding that those fortunate enough to retire from companies that provide such continued coverage benefit in more ways than one. He cited one of his own employees around that age who was already covered by his former employer when he sought a job working for Shea.
That person has more employability than if youre looking at a candidate whos 61 years old, and to whom you have to provide health insurance, he said. That age demographic is going to kill me.
Instant Access
But the biggest change, obviously, has been the dramatic devaluation of retirement accounts. Financial crises always seem to bring out political teeth-gnashing, and theres certainly plenty of that going on these days.
Unlike Wall Street executives, Americas families dont have a golden parachute to fall back on, U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said recently, as quoted by the Associated Press. Its clear that their retirement security may be one of the greatest casualties of this financial crisis.
Of course, all this is happening during an age of instant online information, which poses its own challenges.
We have 24/7 access, Shea said. You can go on the Internet, you can pull up a graph, you can look at it daily basically, you can drive yourself crazy. Fifteen, 20 years ago, before everyone had a PC on their desktop, before we all had the Internet, employees would get a retirement statement maybe once a year and say, oh, thats nice. There was no instantaneous information. Today, were bombarding people with connectivity, and thats both good and bad.
One negative is the immediate urge to get out of the market, said MacDonald, but that would be the wrong strategy, especially for those who wont retire for some time, or who dont need all their invested money right away.
Youre putting a lot of personal money into these programs, but I think its safe over the long term, he said. Historically, weve had ups and downs. This year was historic, and theres a tendency to pull back. But this is not the time to stop. This is the time to double up. Everything is on sale now. Its almost like saying, I want to wait until were paying full price again for me to get back in.
My outlook? Shea said. Things go down, but I think things will come back up. I have a positive outlook over the long run.
Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]
The following building permits were issued during the month of November 2008.
AGAWAM John Kieffer AMHERST BMA Realty, LLC Sixty-nine ninety-one Main St. CHICOPEE Chicopee Credit Union Stan’s Auto Body Sullivan Associates Inc The Arbors Associate LLC EASTHAMPTON City of Easthampton McDonald’s Corp. Michael R. Banas Ronmar LLC GREENFIELD Erin M. Miner Main Street Realty Trust HOLYOKE Church of Jesus Christ David Torres Holyoke Department of Parks & Rec. Loomis House Inc. | Sunoco Products Co. LUDLOW New England Equities, LLC Town of Ludlow DPW NORTHAMPTON Central Chambers Realty Femsted Inc. Hutchins Family Partnership Old School Commons Limited SOUTHWICK Vision Builders Company Westfield Gas & Electric SPRINGFIELD 405 Armory St. LLC Baystate Medical Center Baystate Medical Center Big Y Foods, Inc. Dask Partnership Western New England College WESTFIELD Palmer Dedicated Logistics Transcom Tech |
Marketing Effort Answers the Question About How to Raise Awareness of the Agency
His name is Joe.
And while he bears some resemblance to a few business owners in the area, there is no one person who inspired this character, said Ann Burke.
Instead, he represents every business owner in the region, said Burke, vice president of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, and thus he puts a face on an intriguing new marketing intiative launched earlier by this fall by the agency.
Its called Ask the EDC, and its primary mission, said Danielle Paine, manager of Communications for the non-profit agency, is to raise awareness of the many ways in which it can be of assistance, especially to small-business owners, through myriad free services offered by a host of organizations affiliated with the EDC.
Such services from help with writing a business plan to assistance with crafting an energy-conservation program are always in some level of demand, said Paine, adding quickly that such interest rises in trying economic times such as these. Which explains the timing of Ask the EDC, which, according to some early numbers, is doing precisely what it was designed to do.
Indeed, while its somewhat early to draw in-depth conclusions about the overall success of the initiative, initial response to the campaign has been positive, said Burke, adding that, while the EDC was getting a few random questions a week from area business owners before the campaign started, it is now getting closer to 15. And traffic to the EDCs Web site is up, unofficially, by about 30%.
All this is positive news for the region, she told BusinessWest, noting that one of the EDCs primary missions is to help existing businesses survive, thrive, and, if at all possible, stay in this region. The Ask the EDC program, part of a larger effort called HomeField Advantage, has become an important manifestation of that mission, and at a time when many businesses are struggling and looking for some help to get them through to the day when the economic climate improves.
Acknowledging that 70% of our growth comes from within, meaning businesses that are already in the region, and the need to better support those businesses in light of these challenging times, we decided to launch this campaign to help make people more aware of the free services available to them, said Burke. She noted that recent questions reflect the current conditions, and include issues such as replacing lost customers, securing financing, and creating new revenue streams.
Helping small business owners get the answers to these and other questions was the motivation for Ask the EDC, which was officially launched on Oct. 27 and has included print ads, radio spots, a new page (asktheedc.com) on the EDCs Web site, and a billboard on the southbound lane of Interstate 91 near Longmeadow.
The campaign was inspired by the nagging perception that, while larger businesses probably know about the EDC, its services, and its affiliations with a host of economic-development agencies and business-support organizations, many smaller venues dont, or lack a full understanding of the help thats available. The recent surge in calls, E-mails, and Web hits would seem to verify that notion, said Burke, and offer evidence that the $28,000 expenditure has been a sound investment.
Ask the EDC was designed to build the EDC brand, said Burke, and, in general, educate business owners and managers about the many areas in which support is available. They include:
The questions posed to asktheedc.com have run the gamut, said Burke, as evidenced by one recent print ad. One inquirer wanted some input on whether state funding or other types of grants are available for a solar power installation for his manufacturing plant. Meanwhile, a retailer in what he called a hidden location in Springfield wanted to know if there was financing available for some obviously needed marketing.
My company currently uses contracted employees, but we are interested in transitioning to direct hire, wrote a third business owner. How can we learn about workers compensation wage rates and insurance? Still another, the owner of a small electrical-contracting business, desires to build in the local industrial park and wanted to know where to turn for financing.
Those with questions are often referred to a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms, said Burke, connoting agencies such as the Western Mass. Enterprise Fund (WMEF), the Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC), SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives), and even the Mass. Office of International Trade & Investment (MOITI).
Paine told BusinessWest that the new marketing campaign will run through the end of the year, at which time, she, Burke, and others will review goals, results, and strategies for moving forward. Results (in the form of responses to the various marketing vehicles) are being carefully tabulated, she continued, adding that the EDC will likely continue the campaign with those media outlets that are generating the best results.
For now, Ask the EDC seems to be the answer to the ongoing question about how to brand the EDC and make its broad menu of services and affiliations known to more business and owners and managers.
Just ask Joe. George OBrien
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
CHICOPEE Door Tek Installation Services Inc., 19 East Street Ave., Chicopee 01020. Mario Couture, same. Door installation. Taehon Corporation Take on Life Inc., 680 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013-1824. Mark D. Lewis, 191 North Street, Hingham, 02043. Martial arts instruction. EASTHAMPTON Hinglag Corp., 46 Townhouse Dr., Easthampton 01027. Bhupendra N. Patel, same. Package store. GREENFIELD Jim’s Tree Service Inc., 115 homestead Ave., Greenfield 01301. James Michael Elwell. Same. Tree service. HOLYOKE Friends of Holyoke Council on Aging Inc., 310 Appleton St., Holyoke 01040. Frances Wilhelmi, 31 Mayer Dr., Holyoke 01040. Charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes. LONGMEADOW Scientific Social Solutions Inc., 49 Memory Lane, Longmeadow 01106. Alton King Jr., same. Education Western Massachusetts Learning Centers for Children Inc., 281 Deepwoods Dr., Longmeadow 01106. Robert W. Clark, same. To train qualified trainees to become certified tutors. LUDLOW Sal’s Pizzeria Inc., 206 Holyoke St., Ludlow 01056. Marie Berardi, 88 Ashland Ave., Springfield 01119-2702. Dispenser of food and drink. PALMER Western Massachusetts Fly Fishermen Inc., 1212 Thorndike St., Palmer 01069. William Rose, 39 Sunset Terrace, Feeding Hills 01030.To provide education on fly fishing. RUSSELL Scapin Sand & Gravel Inc., 260 Blandford Road, Russell 01071. Anthony J. Scapin Sr., same. To supply sand and gravel. SOUTH HADLEY International Medieval Society, Paris Inc., 50 College St., South Hadley 01075. Meredith Cohen, same. Non-profit. | SPRINGFIELD Admark Transportation Inc., 786 Newbury St., Springfield 01104. Rene Romero, same. Public transportation. Agape Kingdom Community Development International (AKCDI) Inc., 336 Springfield St., Springfield 01107. Kofi Atta Ben Bani Rev., 136 Melha Ave., Springfield 01104. Community service. BDH Enterprises Inc., 46 Louis Road, Springfield 01118. Brenda D Harvey, same. On-line customer service. Chase Management Service Inc., 85 Mill St., Springfield 01108. Sheryl A.Chase, 29 River St., Thorndike 01079. Real Estate management. Faith in Action Community Empowerment (FACE) Inc., 336 Springfield St., Springfield 01107. Kofi Atta Beb Bani Rev., 136 Melha Ave., Springfield 01104. Community service. Innovative Communications Inc., 132 Fort Pleasant Ave., Springfield 01108. Kevin McCaskill Jr., Same. Retail. New England Farm Workers’ Council Realty Inc., 11-13 Hampden St., Springfield 01103. Heriberto Flores, same. Non-profit. Springfield International Animal Hospital Realty Inc., 357 East Columbus Ave., Springfield 01105-2555. Socrates Tello, 356 Orange St., Springfield 01105. Real Estate investor. Springfield International Animal Hospital, P.C. 357 East Columbus Ave., Springfield 01105. Socrates Tello, same. Veterinary medicine. Tenants & Landlords Inc., 115 Bellevue Ave., Springfield 01108. Hassan R. Ali, same. Home services. Yogi Brothers Inc., 220 Worthington St., Springfield 01029. Arvind Trehan, 155 River St., West Springfield 01089. Fast food service/restaurant WESTFIELD John P. Liptak, CPA Inc., 30 Court St., Westfield 01085. John P. Liptak, 20 Court St., Westfield 01085. The practice of public accountancy. WILBRAHAM Wurszt Inc., 2460 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Greg S. Wurszt, 18 Frontenac St., Indian Orchard 01151. The purchase, sales, distribution, and repair of lawn mowers, snow blowers, and other power equipment. |
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Alves, Alexander D. Bernardi, Christopher A. Bowyer, Paula A. Broadhurst, Thomas R. Brooks, Carlton Rene Bunnell, William E. Campofredano, Donald Scott Chabot, John L. Clemons, Wavie Craven, Walter E. Crochier, Leslie C. Davis, Willie G. DeJordy, Brian J. Desmond, Shirley Louise Donovan, Richard Joseph Dresser, Clinton J. Duvernay, Adrienne W. East Longmeadow Drywall Farrell, Jeannine L. Finney, Ann Marie Flores, Hector Frank Fonseca, Bienvenida Gomez, Ruben Hallowell, Kathleen M. Harnden, Brian S. Harnden, Jennifer L. Hernandez, Margarita Johnson, Terri M. Kiratsoulis, Holly L. Lamoureux, Lucien F. Lapa, Jessica Laurin, Marieann Le, Tri H. Lesik, Allen S. Lesik, Lisa A. Levesque, Rosemary Ly, Winnie | MacDonald, Robert Michael Marigliano, Robert S. Masloski, Alexander Peter Masloski, Meridith Vonda Musselwhite, David W. O’Brien, Michael J. Page, Julie A. Parent, Kathleen D. Penna, Richard A. Perez, Armando Provost, Arlene M. Rettie, James E. Riedel, Peter John Roberts, Margaret J. Rosado, Antonio Russello, Robert R. Sandy’s Auto World Shaw, Theresa M. Sheehy, Carol Simard, Hannelore R. Simonoff, Toby K. Smith, Gregory M. Son, Hien Thi Soundara, Vilaingeun Stice, Lacy L. Swinton, Patricia A. Thompson, Dolores M. Torres, Luis M. Tosado, Adelaida I. Walbridge, Jason Allen Wallace, Leslie Anne Watson, Lynda Gail Watson, William M. White Dove Cleaning Worrell, Trevor H. |
Bolstered by Its Diversity, the Local Job Market Remains Fairly Stable
Bill Ward says he grew up in the town of Bethlehem, Pa., a community that through much of its history owed its identity and its livelihood to the steel mills that took the same name.
About 60% of the population worked for Bethlehem Steel, and there was probably a supply chain of another 20%, said Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, referring to conditions years ago (the company was dissolved in 2003). When that industry went, there was nowhere to hide.
He related that story to explain why concern, and not panic, is the watchword for the regions job market. It comes down to one word: diversity.
Were not as sector-sensitive here, he explained, adding that the once-manufacturing-dominant region now has jobs spread across a number of business groups, none of which seem to have been very hard hit to date by a recession that is devastating other parts of the country, where unemployment is approaching 10%
Indeed, stable is the word that Ward and others used to describe sectors ranging from health care to education; from financial services to manufacturing. They mixed it in with holding their own to describe these industries and the impact to date.
There have been some layoffs and hiring freezes in each of these sectors, said Ward, but nothing approaching the shock waves hitting construction-related businesses in many regions and the widespread devastation in the financial districts in New York, Boston, Charlotte, N.C. (home to several large banks, including Bank of America), and even Hartford.
This is evidenced by a current unemployment rate in the region that is slightly below the national average of 6.5%. As of the end of October, jobless rates in Springfield (7.8%) and Holyoke (7.5%) were significantly higher than the state average of 5.5%, but many Hampden County communities lie well below that figure.
Thats not to say that there isnt concern or apprehension about the future of the local job market. Some sectors, especially those dependent on state and federal funding (and there are many), are hurting, and there are some warning signs, said Rexene Picard, executive director of the Springfield-based one-stop career center FutureWorks.
These include growing numbers of individuals showing up at her agency and also at CareerPoint in Holyoke looking for job opportunities, and also greater interest in temporary employees, with some business owners wary of hiring on a more-permanent basis due to uncertainty about what the future will hold.
The major impact that I see every single day is the number of people coming in for unemployment assistance, she told BusinessWest. Ive never seen it this difficult.
Seeking Hire Ground
Moving down an unwritten list of the regions major employment sectors, Ward and Picard said none of them have been unscathed by the downturn, but, by and large, they remain stable theres that word again.
The term accurately describes the state of manufacturing, an important sector because it brings money into the region from outside its boundaries and has a high job-multiplier effect, said Ward, meaning that for every job in that realm, another two to three are created in other sectors.
If you lose manufacturing jobs, your economy is likely taking a bigger hit than what a raw number of job statistics would suggest, he explained. In general, though, the high-tech and precision manufacturing sector in Western Mass. is holding its own.
The same can be said of the financial-services arena, said Ward, noting that other regions and individual cities, such as Hartford, with its high concentration of insurance industry-related jobs, have been hit much harder.
The dramatic financial collapse we have seen on the national level and on the state level are clearly reverberating in our region, but we are not going to see a big hit like you see elsewhere, he told Business-West. Our financial markets are stable, but Im sure theyre very cautious as well.
Picard agreed, and noted, as others have over the years, that the region actually benefits from its historically moderate pace of growth in trying times such as these.
In contrast to the financial sector in Boston, we havent grown as rapidly out here, she explained, so we arent laying off as many now.
In health care, one of the regions strongest employment sectors, the sagging economy has created a new set of hurdles for an already-challenged industry (see related story, page 26). These have led to some layoffs at Northamptons Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Baystate Health, the regions largest employer, as well as some hiring freezes involving non-clinical workers. But overall, the sector remains solid, and in some cases is still experiencing difficulties filling job openings.
This is a separate challenge for the region, said Picard, noting that there are ongoing efforts to close a recognized skills gap with many positions within the health care industry and to put workers into the pipeline.
As for the education sector, another pillar of the local job market, the private colleges have yet to be seriously affected by the economic downturn, said Ward, and the public schools have taken small-scale steps to date. This could change, however, as those institutions adjust to $1 billion in budget cuts recently announced by Gov. Deval Patrick, and the possibility of additional reductions.
There are a number of institutions threatened by federal and state cutbacks, said Picard, listing her own as just one example; the two one-stop career centers have been forced to lay off 11 workers between them, she explained, adding that a host of social services, encompassing everything from mental-health services to childcare to transitional services (all of which are in greater demand during an economic downturn), are seeing their funding cut.
Meanwhile, other sectors are struggling. The sharp decline in the housing market has deeply impacted Realtors, said Picard, and also businesses in a host of related industries, including retail, which is smarting from an overall erosion in consumer confidence.
This phenomenon can be seen in a drop-off in holiday-season hiring, said Picard, with many stores wary about adding additional personnel. A lackluster holiday shopping season is predicted for the region and the nation, and if this comes to pass, then January will not be kind to some workers in that sector.
What were hearing is that, come January, we might see additional layoffs, she explained, or actually more stores closing.
Overall, caution is the prevailing attitude among employers, said those who spoke with BusinessWest, and this is reflected in greater reliance on temporary workers and temp-to-hire scenarios.
Rick Caneschi, corporate account manager for the Valley Employment Group, has seen seen such patterns develop, especially the hiring of temporary workers instead of permanent employees, a clear sign that business owners are apprehensive about the months ahead. And he knows from experience and navigating through more than three decades of business cycles that 2009 will be more challenging than 08.
I hate to say it, but I think its going to get worse before it gets better, he said. Were seeing more and more companies asking how long they can keep their temporary employees on the payroll; they are being very cautious.
It was in 1989 when we had an economic slowdown, he continued. But it was in 1990 when we saw the cuts. The question I ask myself is, where will we see the cuts in 2009?
Strength in Numbers
This is the question on everyones mind as a dizzying year draws to a close.
The volume of traffic at FutureWorks is certainly enough evidence that the local job market is not exactly healthy, but it remains stable, as the experts told BusinessWest, and the signs point to more of the same in the year ahead.
Its going to be tough here, said Ward, but we do have that fundamental diversity, which gives us strength.
Attorney Marty Dunn Stands Tall Against ALS
Marty Dunn first started noticing a slight slurring of his speech about a year ago. Soon, others noticed as well. Eight months later, he would be officially diagnosed with ALS amytrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease. Its been a strange, almost surreal 2008 for Dunn, vice president of contracts for Chicopees Turbocare and a well-known attorney in the region. But the past is certainly not his focus. Instead, its the present and especially the future. There is much planning to do for Dunn, who wants to be an inspiration, not the object of pity, and a determination to make the very most of the time he has left especially this time.
Marty Dunn extended his right arm and started shaking and flexing his hand, as if to provide some visual effects for some comments about his thumb.
Its simply not as opposable as it was or should be, said Dunn, adding that a lack of mobility and resistance in his thumb has affected, to one degree or another, his ability to eat, write, brush his teeth, turn the car key in the ignition, or do any of those myriad other things that one does with their dominant hand. It really messes things up.
Aside from a slurring of his speech, which has become progressively worse over the past year or so, these thumb problems are the first outward manifestations of amytrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrigs disease.
Dunn knows there will be more.
Many more.
He just doesnt know when theyll appear, or where, or to what degree they will impact that intangible known as quality of life for himself and those around him, especially his wife, Anne Marie, daughter, Kellis, and son, Ryan.
This is one of the exceedingly cruel aspects of ALS a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and there are many. There is no cure for this menace, named after the New York Yankees star who contracted it, and no one really knows definitively what causes it. A diagnosis is, in most all cases, a death sentence. But those who have it just dont know how long that sentence is or what the weeks, months, and years ahead of them will be like.
All they can do is think and hope and prepare for what they know, or think, is coming which most people would find incomprehensible and exceedingly depressing.
But Dunn, an attorney, vice president of contracts with Chicopee-based Turbocare, and former associate with the Springfield-based firm Bacon Wilson, isnt sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He has much better things to do with his time especially this time, before ALS takes from him his ability to speak, eat, write, type, walk, and be independent.
He knows those days are coming. He just doesnt know when.
I never miss an opportunity to spend time with the kids now, he told BusinessWest. Id like to think that it was always like that, but it wasnt. Now, it means so much more to me.
One thing Dunn wants to do with this time is try to raise awareness of ALS in the hope that maybe someday the causes will be known and a cure can be found. ALS is relatively rare, and it doesnt get the federal money that other, more widespread diseases do, so anything I can do to draw attention to it will help.
Hes not going to climb a mountain, stage a telethon, or even blog about his experiences, but he will try to help people understand this disease and perhaps comprehend the many ways it impacts the lives of its victims and all those around them. Ultimately, he doesnt want to be a victim and object of pity, but rather an inspiration to others fighting battles like his own.
And one way of doing that is agreeing to sit with BusinessWest and talk about ALS, what hes experiencing, and what he wants to do before its too late, a phrase he used on a few occasions to convey his determination to make the most of what is now a truly precious commodity.
Indeed, as he recalled a time recently when Anne Marie said, why did this happen to us? weve always done everything right were good people, Dunn said he replied, why not us? What makes us so special? Life isnt fair, and Ive been pretty lucky through my life.
That was his way of acknowledging that ALS strikes indiscriminately, and that time spent asking why? isnt time spent wisely.
And hes becoming quite an expert on that subject.
Body of Evidence
It was a Sunday-afternoon football party with some of his neighbors in East Longmeadow, like so many before it, until
Dunn recalls that it was quite cold that day late last fall, and that the New England Patriots triumphed (they won every regular-season game last year). But by days end he would have something much different and far more menacing to remember the occasion by.
This was the first time someone made reference to his speech and that it didnt seem right. Someone said, your voice sounds funny, he recalled, adding that he had noticed something himself, a slight slurring, in the days preceding, but didnt think much of it. But with this second reference, he began to think that maybe something was wrong. And with some hard prompting from Anne Marie, he would eventually seek out some answers.
As he would find out much later, the ALS had actually invaded his body several months earlier, and this lengthy time before the first visible manifestation of the disease is part and parcel to ALS.
This was just one of the many things Dunn would learn during an almost surreal 2008 for the Springfield native, Cathedral High School and AIC graduate, and Navy veteran who once worked for the late Congressman Edward Boland as an aide in the mid-80s, first in Springfield and then in Washington.
That was a fantastic experience, he said of his time in D.C., adding that it helped propel him into a career in law, one that would take some time to develop.
Indeed, after leaving Bolands staff, he went to work to what was then Continental Cablevision (there have been several new owners and names since) as government affairs manager, and later at MassMutual and Aetna in what he called systems jobs.
During his time with Aetna, he attended Western New England College Law School part-time. Upon graduation in 1998, he went to work for Bacon Wilson, where he specialized in corporate law, especially commercial transactions. He also handled some immigration work and residential real estate.
In 2006, he left the firm for Turbocare, a subsidiary of Siemens that makes replacement parts for steam and gas turbine engines manufactured by Siemens and other makers. His work involves international contracts, as the title suggests, but Dunn also serves as in-house attorney for the company, handling a broad array of duties that he categorized as office work.
But this was the kind of behind-the-scenes, transactional legal work that appealed to him, and he had settled into the job nicely by late 2007. Soon, though, things would become rather unsettled.
Questions, but No Answers
There are many things that medical science doesnt know about ALS, said Dunn. What causes it and how to cure it are at the top of the list, but it is also not easy to diagnose.
In fact, it was actually late summer, more than eight months after that first reference about his voice and nearly two months after Dunn finally went in for tests, before doctors could actually, and officially, confirm that this was the problem.
A diagnosis of ALS is a diagnosis of exclusion, said Dunn, noting that there are several neurological disorders that could have been the cause of his slurred speech. They start out with a list a mile long and they slowly eliminate things; the thing at the bottom is ALS.
He remembers several procedures, none of them pleasant, as doctors worked their way down that long list. They shock you with electric shock, and stick needles in you all over the place, he recalled, in the tongue, in the extremities, anywhere and everywhere.
Before any of that, doctors found something else to be concerned about an abnormal heartbeat, which required some immediate attention. By the time a measure of control with his heartbeat had been achieved, doctors were making some headway in their process of elimination.
But it would be Aug. 29, a date Dunn wont ever forget, when he received not only the official word, but a letter that he would have to use as he sought benefits from the Veterans Administration and other agencies. Thats my kick-off date.
He told BusinessWest he greeted the news with shock and horror, with thoughts soon returning to some recent experiences, when he watched a boyhood friends mother suffer from and then succumb to ALS.
It was horrifying it was very hard to watch it unfold, he recalled of this exposure to ALS, which played itself out over the course of four or five years. I heard from my friend frequently; I would visit him and see his mother. I could see what it was doing to her, so theres some tragic irony to all this.
When all was said and done and ALS was confirmed, Dunn said he actually felt sorry for the neurologists who made the diagnosis, who feel helpless in such situations. Once they come away with this diagnosis, they shift from a curative type of consultation to saying, well, you should make the most of the time you have left.
Upon learning that he was afflicted with ALS, Dunn then did what people do these days when they want information; he googled the acronym.
Then he started reading, a sobering experience, to say the least.
Among the things hes learned is that ALS strikes about 30,000 people a year. Thats a big number, but not big enough, apparently, to drive the pharmaceutical companies to invest large amounts of time and money to finding a cure; theres simply not enough of a payback.
Hes also learned that while life expectancy varies, most victims have between two and five years to live. But what none of the sites he clicked on could tell him was just how quickly this disease will take over his body and what he can expect next. Hes not sure exactly why, but he believes his progression will be slow, which is both good and bad.
Dunn has learned that there are essentially two informal types of ALS. One starts from the head, or top, and works its way down the body. The other moves in reverse, striking the legs and then heading north.
He has the former, which explains why his speech was the first thing to be impacted. The thumb problems followed, he said, adding quickly that while its not getting any worse yet its not getting better, impacting myriad daily activities.
My writing is getting really sloppy, he said. I have trouble holding a fork I really have to grab it and I cant really turn the ignition in the car.
No one really knows exactly what will happen next or when, but Dunn is pretty much resigned to the fact that soon (a decidedly relative term for those with ALS), he will lose his speech altogether, and he will need to communicate via a computer. Next, or maybe simultaneously, he will lose the ability to swallow, meaning he will need a feeding tube for nourishment.
Knowing that such things are coming, but not knowing when, is difficult, he said, adding that he is determined to make good use of his time before such quality-of-life-limiting things happen.
Desire to Inspire
Dunn said that putting the acronym ALS together with the word blessing in the same sentence is awkward and somewhat perverse.
But thats the term he chose to describe one aspect of this disease: time to think and reflect and relish and maybe do some of the things one might do if he or she knew there was only so much time, or quality time, left. And also time to get ones affairs in order and make sure that people are taken care of to the best of his ability. Dunn has been doing all of that, and he noted that many people dont have that luxury.
First and foremost, I wanted to do those things they say you should do for your family, he said, listing a will and a health care proxy, among others. There are a lot of business-related issues that have to be addressed, and you want to make sure everythings been done right.
His situation improved in September, he said, when the Veterans Administration, acting upon statistics showing that those who served time in the military had a much greater chance of contracting ALS than non-veterans, altered its policy on the disease. Before that, Gulf War and Vietnam-era veterans who contracted the illness would be eligible for service-connected pensions. However, that policy now includes everyone.
That opens up some new avenues of help for me and other veterans who have it, he explained, adding that his wife will now receive a small pension because of that policy change and that service-connected designation attached to his ALS.
Dunn said he doesnt have any firm plans for the future, but he is mulling a host of possibilities. He intends to take the family on a vacation to Disney World itll be the 100th time, but if it makes them happy, thats all I care about and is thinking about a visit to Ireland, something his wife wants to do.
I have to take advantage of the time I have, meaning while Im still mobile and can still speak, he explained. Hopefully, Ill be around for quite a few years, but there will come a point where there will be wheelchairs and other things Ill need, and it just wont be the same.
In the meantime, Dunn is taking inspiration and support wherever and whenever he can find it.
Hes been given a number of books on the subjects of death and dying, including Randy Pauschs The Last Lecture, from which hes gained determination to honor the late educators call for those staring at death to be Tiggers and not Eeyores (characters from Winnie the Pooh) as they live out their lives.
He says you can either be an Eeyore and sit in the corner and say, oh, woe is me, or you can bounce around like Tigger and just enjoy life. Thats what I plan to do.
Overall, he doesnt dwell on the hand hes been dealt or rant at his misfortune. Sometimes the ball bounces in your direction, which it usually has for me, and sometimes it doesnt, he said. Ive been more fortunate than most.
Dunn was honored this past Veterans Day with the role of grand marshal in Springfields Veterans Day Parade, and a few days later he was the guest of honor at a huge fundraiser at the Basketball Hall of Fame. More than 500 friends, family members, colleagues, and former colleagues gathered at an event that had the look and feel of a Frank Capra movie and drove home the point that Dunn will have plenty of support as he battles ALS.
Doug Guthrie, now vice president of the Connecticut-West Region for Comcast, with whom Dunn had worked at Continental Cablevision some 20 years earlier when both were just getting started in their careers, organized many of details of the event (which raised more than $25,000 by some very early estimates) and introduced Dunn to those gathered. Meanwhile, attorneys at Bacon Wilson sold hundreds of tickets to the event, and organizers collected raffle prizes from dozens of area businesses and attractions.
AnnMarie Harding, marketing director for Maxs Tavern and hostess of that football party in East Longmeadow 11 months earlier, handled most of the logistics, with help from some interns at WNEC, Dunns alma matter.
Dunn wrote out his remarks, telling those assembled that by doing so, someone else might finish if he couldnt. He had to stop several t
mes, with each pause pierced by a cry of we love you, Marty, or were here for you, Marty, always from a different corner of the room, and each time providing enough to give Dunn whatever it took to read on.
He told those gathered what he later told BusinessWest that he intends to be around for a while, and for the time being, it will be business as usual or as usual as it can get when ones been handed a death sentence.
He doesnt know for how long, but one more thing Dunn has learned about ALS is that one lives for the moment and prepares for the future.
Hes got that part down.
Lasting Impressions
When asked if he could ever truly put aside his plight and not think about it, Dunn said there are actually some times when he can forget he has ALS.
But its not easy, he said, not when every time you start to talk youre reminded. The only respite you get is when youre sleeping.
And now, theres the thumb.
Returning to that subject, he flexed his hand a few more times. Dunn said that from that all hes read and all he knows, it will slowly get worse and that this will impact so many aspects of his life and those around him.
Its really going to sink in when I cant hold a football anymore and I wont be able to play catch with Ryan, he said, stopping for a minute as if to let that eventuality wash over him. And in a very rare display, you could see the pain on his face.
Thats because he knows that day is coming.
He just doesnt know when.
And thats the curse of ALS.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
Greta LaMountain has joined the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. of Springfield. LaMountain, a general practitioner with a focus on financial and real estate matters, will work out of the Amherst office.
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Peter Knapp recently became the new owner of Danco/Danish Inspirations in West Hatfield.•••••
Pamela Mackenzie, Vice President of Comcast’s Hartford-Springfield area, was recently recognized with the Career Achievement Award by Women in Cable Telecommunications New England at its fourth annual awards ceremony in Boston. The award recognizes an individual who has had a milestone decade, has significantly impacted the cable industry, and is a visionary leader who is highly regarded by her employees and peers. Mackenzie oversees a 500-person team comprising technical operations, finance, human resources, and commercial and residential sales.•••••
Scott Palmer has joined MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division as Vice President, Retirement Systems.•••••
Sunshine Village in Chicopee announced the following:• Sandy Duprat has joined the agency as a Marketing Representative, and
• Nancy Bailey has joined the agency as a Marketing Representative.
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Fuss & O’Neill of Manchester, Conn. announced the following:• Ted DeSantos, Vice President and Leader of the Transportation and Structures Business Unit, has been promoted to Partner;
• Chris Ecsedy, Project Director, Facilities and Environmental Services Business Unit, has been promoted to Partner;
• John Chambers, Project Director, Development Services Business Unit, has been promoted to Partner, and
• Rob Levandoski, Project Director, Manufacturing Solutions, LLC, has been promoted to Partner.
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Dawn Mulvey of Home & Garden Party was recently promoted to Gold Designer with the company. To reach this goal, Mulvey had to have sponsored three team members and have monthly sales of $300 or more.•••••
Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. in Holyoke announced the following:• Linda Raimondi has joined the firm as Director of Human Resources. In this role, Raimondi will oversee the recruitment, retention, and professional development of staff, as well as oversee the firm’s daily administrative operations.
• Brenda Olesuk has been named Director of Marketing. She will provide leadership in the development and execution of the firm’s strategic marketing, advertising, and public-relations plans.
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The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in West Springfield announced the following:• Janet E. Cassesse has been named Financial Coordinator in the Community Development section, and
• Danielle J. Kahn has been named a Land Use and Environmental Planner.
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PeoplesBank has appointed Melissa E. Richter Branch Manager at the Sumner Avenue office in Springfield.•••••
Steven A. Davis was the recent recipient of a Nichols College Alumni Achievement Award. Davis is the President of Ventry Industries, a private firm in Springfield that invests in New England businesses.•••••
Dawn Mulvey and Lisa Jarrett recently attended “Back to Basics,” Home & Garden Party’s annual conference rally in Las Vegas.•••••
Northeast Utilities announced the following:• James A. Muntz has been promoted to President, Transmission, and
• Patricia McCullough has been elected President and Executive Director of the Northeast Utilities Foundation. McCullough will continue to serve as a Director in NU’s enterprise planning group, working with NU’s operating companies on energy efficiency and resource management.
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The Zonta Club of Quaboag recently honored Nancy Fletcher with its Founder’s Day Award, given annually to a woman who exemplifies the ideals of Zonta. Fletcher is Founder and Executive Director of ACT NOW! Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to building character and confidence in youth, particularly girls, through improvisation and movie making.•••••
Robert N. Authier recently received the National Association of Realtors’ top executive award, the William R. Magel Award of Excellence, during its annual conference in Orlando. Authier is Chief Executive Officer of the 21,000-member Mass. Assoc. of Realtors.•••••
Northwestern Mutual announced the following:• Dana R. Barrows will receive the company’s Forum Award, and
• John H. Joyce will receive the company’s Forum Award.
Barrows and Joyce are with The Zuzolo Financial Group, based in Springfield.
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Paul Peter Nicolai, Principal of Nicolai Law Group P.C., has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Nicolai has been named to the Strategic Development Committee of the association’s Center for Professional Responsibility.•••••
Jim Vinick has been named Senior Vice President, Investments, for Moors & Cabot Inc., based in Boston, and will oversee its new office in Springfield at One Financial Plaza, 1350 Main St.