Day: June 21, 2011

Building Permits

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Building Permits Departments

BUILDING PERMITS

The following building permits were issued during the month of June 2011.

AGAWAM

1676 Main St., LLC
1676 Main St.
$250,000 — Renovate existing building into restaurant and pub

Agawam Properties, LLP
408-410 Meadow St.
$85,000 — Renovations

EAST LONGMEADOW

Vertis Inc.
245 Benton Dr.
$48,500 — Construct steel-frame room

HOLYOKE

City of Holyoke Schools
500 Beech St.
$2,801,000 — Renovation of classrooms, locker rooms, and install new security system

WBC Realty
28 Appleton St.
$14,400 — Install new roof

NORTHAMPTON

City of Northampton
19 Meadow St.
$3,400 — Install interior stained glass window

Coolidge Northampton, LLC
243 King St.
$5,500 — Interior renovations

Kenneth and Carol Bowen
40 Center St.
$8,250 — Remove and construct new wall to expand waiting room

The Brushworks, LLC
221 Pine St.
$8,000 — Replace six antennas

LUDLOW

Westside Pizza
103 West St.
$5,000 — Install new exhaust system

SOUTHWICK

Dunkin Donuts
497 College Hwy.
$60,000 — Renovations

SPRINGFIELD

Pearson Cooley Development
1334 Liberty St.
$179,000 — Convert to franchise pizza restaurant

SIS Center
1459 Main St.
$340,000 — Tenant improvements

WESTFIELD

Cloverleaf Realty
110 Elm St.
$7,500 — Renovation for new restaurant

Sage Engineering
217 Root Road
$139,000 — Interior repairs

Opinion

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Opinion
Region Displays Resolve, Resourcefulness

Since June 1, we have experienced the devastation of a natural disaster unprecedented in our region. But as stunned as we all were by the damage to residences and businesses alike, we take comfort in the responses to this tragedy at every level.
Whether it is businesses in West Springfield, the South End of Springfield, Watershops Pond, or Six Corners; or residents in East Forest Park, Wilbraham, Westfield, West Springfield, or Monson, the community of Western Mass. rallied behind those affected. The spirit and resilience of the people in our region are what make it special, and examples of those attributes are all around us.
The initial government response and follow-up has been and continues to be remarkable. At the local level, disaster-response teams kicked into action immediately, assessing damage and seeing to the public safety. Who will forget the images of Springfield Mayor Sarno accompanied by Gov. Patrick and Sen. Kerry surveying the damage in the South End of Springfield immediately following the tornado, while Congressman Neal contacted the White House to invoke federal assistance?
Mayors Gibson in West Springfield and Knapik in Westfield, as well as the selectmen in Wilbraham, Monson, and East Longmeadow, all had challenges of their own that they handled with equal responsiveness and leadership.
The community response led by the Pioneer Valley Red Cross and supported by hundreds of individuals and businesses throughout the region has been equally impressive, and further evidence of the extraordinary spirit of our people.
The Economic Development Council and the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield have been working partners in the cooperative efforts since the tornado struck, staying abreast of details through daily conference calls with local, state, and federal entities; touring the destruction to assess its impact; and reaching out to members both affected and not, in an attempt to match needs with resources.
The challenges presented by this disaster are being met with hope and resolve, but no one expects the solutions to necessarily be swift. Instead, the rebuilding phase will break down into the short, medium and long terms. In the short term, residents and business owners are assessing the damage and working with their private insurers to understand their options. But more help will be on the way soon.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has programs to assist residents and businesses and not-for-profit organizations alike in the medium-term rebuilding effort. Through the use of long-term, low-interest disaster loans, the SBA can provide funding to replace damaged real estate and/or personal property, and provide needed operating capital to compensate for business interruption and economic injury. Soon, the SBA will be providing specific details on how individuals and businesses can avail themselves of these services and resources (see related story on page 9). The combination of home loans, business loans, and economic-injury disaster loans, together with private insurance, should give those most affected many of the resources needed to rebuild.
The state has set up two resource centers in our region to help all people affected by the tornado. They are in the following locations:

• Springfield: Department of Transitional Assistance Office
95 Liberty St., Springfield
(413) 858-1000
• Palmer: Department of Developmental Service Central/West Regional Office
171 State Ave., Palmer
(413) 283-3411 or (800) 323-3123

The city of Springfield has established a special page on its Web site to assist as well:  www.springfieldcityhall.com
Rebuilding the physical damage in many cases will be the easy part. For those who lost everything they own, or whose school was damaged, forcing them to attend another, and for all the others whose lives were turned upside down by this disaster, the path to normalcy may be more difficult and take longer. There is help for them, too. United Way of Pioneer Valley has a special phone line for assistance, 211. And beyond the organized help will be the many acts of kindness shared neighbor-to-neighbor and community-to-community.
The resilience of our region is found in the strength and resourcefulness of our people. The long-term rebuilding of our communities will require all hands on deck in a thoughtful and hopeful process. The EDC and the ACCGS, together with our members, will be active participants.

Allan Blair is president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts; Jeffrey Ciuffreda is president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield.

Dead Last

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DowngradedConditionBW0611b
Health Care Sections
The Roots of Hampden County’s Health Problems Run Deep

Dr. Andrew Balder

Dr. Andrew Balder says the socioeconomic data behind Hampden County’s health ranking is impossible to ignore.

Hampden County residents may have been surprised to see a national survey rank it last among all Massachusetts counties in the broad category of health, simply because of the many high-quality hospitals and other care providers in the region. But the ranking has little to do with those services, and much to do with socioeconomic factors, starting with pervasive poverty, that have been endemic to the county’s cities, particularly Springfield and Holyoke, for a long time. Those factors do influence public health — and they won’t be easily reversed.

Is Hampden County the least-healthy county in Massachusetts?
Well, the numbers don’t lie, but they also point to factors that run well beyond — and much deeper than — access to quality care.
That’s the message conveyed in a recent survey of every U.S. county. The 2011 County Health Rankings — produced for the second straight year by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — ranks Hampden County 14th among 14 counties in Massachusetts in overall health.
Initially, that might seem like a slap in the face to a region that’s home to many high-quality hospitals and other health care providers, but a closer look reveals issues that can’t be solved by the medical establishment.
“You can always question the data, but there’s reality behind it,” said Dr. Andrew Balder, attending physician at Baystate Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center and medical director of the Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan.
He noted that socioeconomic factors played heavily into the rankings, putting many urban centers — which tend to be home to significant pockets of poverty — at an immediate disadvantage (Suffolk County, containing Boston, ranked 13th). The survey gave 10% of its weight to a county’s physical environment, 20% to clinical care, 30% to health behaviors, and 40% to social and economic demographics.
“It does take a village,” Balder said. “This is a direct reflection of Hampden County, of the difficulties of a county dominated by one poor city — Springfield — and a second, smaller, poorer city, Holyoke.”
Dr. Franklin Robinson, executive director of Baystate Health’s Partners for a Healthier Community, agreed. “If you look at the urban core on this county — Springfield and Holyoke — those two centers probably account for the majority of the county’s bad report, because these are problems that really concentrate in urban centers,” he said.
“That tells me this county is really healthier than we suspect, but the urban centers are that much more dramatically challenged, and that brings down the entire report,” he added. “It also signals that these are population-level problems that require much more than tinkering.”
The survey ranks Hampden County well below the top duo of Nantucket and Dukes counties, which represent the islands south of Cape Cod, but that’s not a useful comparison, said Dr. Garry Bombardier, medical director of the Work Connection at Holyoke Medical Center.
DowngradedConditionBW0611b“I know everyone wants to compare us to Dukes County, but that’s a very different part of the world,” he said. “It’s more helpful to take a look and compare us to the next county over — Hampshire County, which turned out to be fifth.”
And some of the comparisons are striking. The premature death figure — which calculates total years of life lost before age 75 — is 44% higher in Hampden County than in its northern neighbor, owing partly, of course, to the much higher rate of violent death in young people endemic to many cities like Springfield.
On the other hand, Bombardier said, “low birth weight in babies is very often an indirect measure of health care, nutrition, and economic status.” On that count, 8.6% of Hampden County babies are born underweight, as opposed to 6.4% in Hampshire County.
He cited other disparities between the two Pioneer Valley counties — a teenage birth rate of 4.5% in Hampden County and 0.7% in Hampshire County; high-school graduation rate, 65% and 85%; unemployment, 9.7% and 6.6%; single-parent households, 42% and 25%; children in poverty, 24% to 10%; and a violent-crime rate three times higher in Hampden County than in Hampshire County, to name a few.
“Again, this is taking a look at the fiber of our society, and it has to do with education, with social and economic factors, do you have jobs, things like that,” Bombardier said. “It’s a very big difference, and we should really be paying attention to it.”
The authors of the study recognize that they’re casting a wide net. “The rankings really show us with solid data that there is a lot more to health than health care,” said Dr. Patrick Remington, the project’s director, when the report was released earlier in the spring. “Where we live, learn, work, and play affect our health.”

Many Miles to Go
The report comes as no surprise to Mark Fulco, vice president for Strategy and Marketing for the Sisters of Providence Health System, who conducts a detailed community-needs assessment as part of the system’s overall planning and resource allocation.
The Wisconsin study “really deals with a lot of those issues,” he explained. “One of the things we look at is a community needs score; we look at each ZIP code and come up with a score from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest needs, based on factors like poverty rate, unemployment, and insurance coverage.”
Springfield, Holyoke, and parts of Chicopee all score very high on that scale, Fulco noted, adding that populations in this range are more likely to wind up in the hospital for conditions, like pneumonia and congestive heart failure, that people in communities with better socioeconomic scores are more likely to handle through primary care.
“If poverty influences health to a significant degree, then the [last-place] ranking is appropriate,” Balder said. “It’s part of the underlying environment that creates an unhealthy physical and social environment. It makes individual healthy behaviors more difficult to attain, and when you make the barriers higher and stack the decks, it becomes harder and harder to act on healthy decisions.”
Fulco cited a survey conducted by the Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which asked residents to rate their own health, and 21% of Springfield residents rated it ‘fair’ or ‘poor’; the state average was just over 12%.
“No wonder the report ends up where it does,” Fulco said, also citing asthma rates, tobacco use, inadequate prenatal care, and other factors in which Hampden County posts numbers nearly double the state average. “The magnitude of the problem is substantial. We’ve got a societal challenge, and it’s important to put public resources toward addressing these needs.”
As a health system, Fulco said SPHS is doing exactly that, from its mental-health programs run through Providence Behavioral Health Hospital to its participation in REACH programs in area schools; from its community health screenings to its Vietnamese Health Project that strives to reduce barriers to health care for the city’s Vietnamese population. “We know we are here to serve our community, and our services need to reflect that,” he said.
Robinson mentioned some community-based projects aimed at reversing some of the underlying factors highlighted in the report.
“The good news is that, in our local communities, there have been some neighborhood groups working together to affect some of these indicators,” he said, citing projects like the Mason Square Health Task Force, the North End Campus Coalition, and others that emphasize economic development alongside social needs.
“We’re beginning to look at the human social issues affecting residents,” he said. “In some of our most challenging neighborhoods, whole collections of people are trying to figure out how we can improve quality of life and the economic experience of our communities and, consequently, the health and well-being of the people who live there.
“It’s a public-health situation; it’s not just a health care problem,” he added. “To change our county’s health status, people need jobs, and they need housing. Essential to good health is the ability of a family to live in an economically self-sufficient manner.”
Some of the long-term statistics have been distressingly consistent, Robinson noted. For instance, infant mortality among African-Americans in the region is about three times that of white infants — the same gap that was present 30 years ago. “That’s a hard indicator that we haven’t been able to effectively organize our resources. We have not made an impact on changing that rate.”
And that’s just one of many stubborn trends, he said. “That’s what makes this so daunting — there isn’t a simple solution out there; there isn’t just one way to do it. How do we, as a community, work to achieve collective impact?”

A Call to Action
Like the others who spoke to BusinessWest, Balder believes the effort is worth it.
“Just because a community is poor doesn’t mean people have to be unhealthy,” he said. “A community can become healthier even though it’s poor. You can throw your hands up and be defeated, or keep working.”
The report’s authors claim that several communities across the U.S. have begun to take action in response to last year’s study, such as passing smoke-free laws, boosting educational opportunities for young children, and pushing for healthier grocery stores and farmer’s markets. But those who work with public-health issues in Hampden County have long been aware of the region’s needs.
“It’s more than the medical delivery system,” Bombardier said. “We’re definitely seeing more people dying younger and more low-birth-weight babies, who require lots more care, and many of them require special education later in life to get them back up to where they belong. We can see the results of poverty, of not having educated people, of not having enough primary-care providers. It’s an overall problem with our community.”
Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, noted that “it’s hard to lead a healthy life if you don’t live in a healthy community.” But the inverse is also true — communities don’t get healthy unless their residents start living healthy lives.
And despite the well-documented barriers, “we have a very bright community with some very active people,” Bombardier said. “My hope is that this will spur people to look at what we can do to make a difference.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Breaking Down Barriers

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Panève partners Stephan Rogers, Jef Sharp, Jeff Hausthor, and Steven Frank.
Sections Technology
Local Firm Is on the Cusp of a Microchip Breakthrough

Panève partners Stephan Rogers, Jef Sharp, Jeff Hausthor, and Steven Frank.

Panève partners Stephan Rogers, Jef Sharp, Jeff Hausthor, and Steven Frank.

Steven Frank, Jef Sharp, Jeff Hausthor, and Stephan Rogers are heading up a team whose work is so revolutionary that customers who hear about it say it is almost too good to be true.
“The feedback we are getting shows that what we are doing is the Holy Grail,” said Frank, CEO of Panève LLC, a Hadley-based management and engineering firm.
The mission of the company, founded two years ago by the four seasoned entrepreneurs, is to develop a new software-programmable, general-purpose microchip processor built from the ground up for video and graphics-intensive applications. Its use will cover a wide range of products that make life better for people and run the gamut from TVs to gaming devices to green-energy applications and medical apparatus.
The product, called the RhinoCore, is in final stages of development, said the partners, and will solve an industry problem by reducing costs as well as the time it takes to get new products to the market, while allowing programmers to write innovative applications.
“When most people think about computers, they think about PCs,” Frank said. “But a revolution is happening; computers and processors are embedded in all sorts of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and TVs.”
The number of computer chips used by manufacturers today is staggering. Sharp, founder of the Northampton-based IT solutions company TechCavalry, says the Toyota Prius he drives contains more than 50 computer chips. “A lot of people don’t know how many chips there are in everyday products today. The trend is exploding.”
What makes Panève’s work so groundbreaking is that its processor allows conventional software to take advantage of multiple chip cores as if they were one, Frank said.
He explained that, over the past four or five decades, semiconductor technology has advanced very rapidly and enabled a swift progression in the capability of products at a lower cost. “But that capability hit a technical wall. Over the past five years it has become apparent that we can’t make processors go any faster,” he said.
An example the average consumer can easily understand is that computers often contain multiple processors. “But each one is not faster, so the real problem that no one has figured out is how to make a software platform that will coordinate all these processors and make them work as one,” Frank said.
But the partners are happy to say they think they have solved that problem.

When the Chips Are Down
The mission began about seven years ago when one of the largest TV manufacturers in the world approached Frank with a problem — and an opportunity.
“They wanted to build a TV where all of the work inside was done with software. Instead of building a TV with special-purpose hardware chips, they needed a software-programmable chip that would be applicable to a large market, enable them to get their products to the market faster, and allow them to continually upgrade the device,” he said, adding that the cost of building a new computer chip is tens of millions of dollars. “What they wanted required a supercomputer in a TV, and there was no company that made a product like that.”
Frank was the chief technical officer (CTO) at Kendall Square Research, a leading supercomputer company that he had co-founded. “At the time that I was approached to put supercomputer thinking into a chip for consumer electronics, I was doing consulting work. The solution to the problem they presented me with was not obvious, but I had the framework to solve the problem because of my years at Kendall Square Research.”
Frank spent several months thinking about the problem and worked with the TV company’s consultants to redefine what was needed.
His work was essentially put aside as his wife waged an unsuccessful fight against breast cancer, but the television firm encouraged him to continue and to start a new business that would focus on a solution.
Two years ago, Frank joined together with his trio of partners who are engaged in making history. He said they have been able to operate on a budget due to their business model.
Three models exist in the semiconductor business world, they explained. One is made up of companies that design their own chips and own factories that produce them. Another simply does the design work and gets the chips ‘fabbed’ which means fabricated in tech-speak, while the third develops the design and licenses it to semiconductor and consumer-electronics companies that manufacture and sell the chips.
Panève fits into the third category, which allows it to develop technology without a tremendous amount of capital. “Our customers are semiconductor companies who sell to large consumer-electronic manufacturers like Sony, Sharp, or Samsung, who will use our technology to make the next-generation devices,” Sharp said.
Panève has met success in its quest to design a platform for a new type of chip that is software-programmable. “It will open up innovation for tens of thousands of programmers to come up with new ideas and new functionality,” Sharp said.
Frank offered two examples of how it can be used. High-end cars that are able to detect when other vehicles are nearby or when the driver is falling asleep need advanced image processing in real time, which is very expensive. “But our chip will make it easy to write software so the technology can be put into mid-priced vehicles,” he explained. The other example is that animated movies seen on televisions and smartphones look almost real on those media, but look ‘cartoonish’ on gaming devices because of the way the algorithms work with the processor. “Our chip will allow them to take a big jump in visual quality,” Frank said.

A Competitive Edge
A study conducted by the White House Science and Technology Advisory Council concluded that, over the past 15 years, hardware improvements have made computers 1,000 times faster. “The study also found that, in the same amount of time, software was responsible for making computer performance increase 43,000 times.
“Software is really a driver for new devices and the quality of life we are experiencing today,” Sharp said.
And it goes far beyond games, TV, and automobiles.
“New advances in medical-science imaging, renewable energy, and devices that use processors to help wounded veterans walk again are all examples of embedded processors at work, and we are proud to be developing a breakthrough platform that will help these kinds of technologies to improve further,” Sharp said. “What we are doing breaks through a wall that will enable continued increases in computer performance. When people think of technology, they think of gadgets, but in hospitals the amount of equipment driven by computers is incredible and enables us to live fuller, richer, and happier lives. It is an increasing part of the fabric of daily life.”
The company is finalizing a prototype that is very sophisticated and nearly ready to be brought to the market.
“Our belief that it is revolutionary is based on conversations we have had with dozens of companies who dream big and have given us feedback that this is almost too good to be true,” Frank said. “Computing is so pervasive in everything we do and everything that is important to us.”
The work has not been easy, however. “We have a team of 16 people who are making this happen through sweat and tears,” Sharp said. “But we are enjoying building something of substance and contributing to society. It’s a lot of work and involves a lot of challenges, but it is very satisfying to make progress.”
He added they would not be able to proceed without support from investors. “They are a very important part of this, and hopefully our work will inspire additional investment in other small companies,” Sharp said.
Summing it up, Frank said that “our work offers a triple play. It will make technology less expensive, more capable, and faster, and allow products to function in ways we can only dream about today.”

Agenda

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Agenda Departments

A Skinner Family Tour
June 25: The curators of Wistariahurst and the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum will host a jaunt around Holyoke and South Hadley to learn more about the lives of the Skinner family from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. William Skinner and his descendants are famed as much for their philanthropic gifts to social and educational institutions in this region as they are for business innovation and expertise in producing the highest-quality silk thread and satin fabrics. As manufacturer of Skinner’s Satins, William Skinner came to be widely known, and his own success was generously extended to Holyoke and the working people who lived there. The Skinner family supported the construction of a chapel, a hospital, a city library, a gymnasium, a coffeehouse, and a state park. The program includes transportation and tours of various Skinner venues, including Wistariahurst, the Skinner Chapel of the United Congregational Church, the Orchards (former home of Joseph Skinner and his family), and will conclude with a tour of the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum. Tickets are $25 per person, $20 for students and seniors. To make a reservation, call (413) 322-5660.

Summer Business Summit
June 27-28: The Resort and Conference Center of Hyannis will be the setting for the Summer Business Summit, hosted by the Massachusetts Chamber of Business and Industry of Boston. Nominations are being accepted for the Massachusetts Chamber, Business of the Year, and Employer of Choice awards. The two-day conference will feature educational speakers, presentations by lawmakers, VIP receptions, and more. For more information, visit www.masscbi.com.

Jazz & Art Festival
July 8-10: A Mardi Gras theme will kick off the 5th annual Hampden Bank Hoop City Jazz & Art Festival on July 8, featuring Glenn David Andrews with the Soul Rebels, and hosted by Wendell Pierce, star of the HBO series Treme. The celebration, planned at Springfield’s Court Square on the Esplanade, continues throughout the weekend with a lineup of world-class entertainment. On July 9, performances are slated by Marcus Anderson, the UK Kings of Jazz Groove, Down to the Bone, 17-year-old jazz newcomer Vincent Ingala, and Gerald Albright. On July 10, performances begin with the Eric Bascom Quintet, followed by Samirah Evans and Her Handsome Devils. Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Orchestra will also perform, and Latin jazz performer Poncho Sanchez will close out the festival. Organizers will also be increasing the number of merchandise vendors, artisans, and crafters as well as food vendors. For more information, visit www.hoopcityjazz.org.

40 Under Forty Gala
June 23: BusinessWest will present its 40 Under Forty Class of 2011 at a not-to-be-missed gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, beginning at 5 p.m. The 40 Under Forty program, initiated in 2007, has become an early-summer tradition in the region. For more information call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Western Mass.
Business Expo
Oct. 18: Businesses from throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties will come together for the premier trade show in the region, the Western Mass. Business Expo. Formerly known as the Market Show, the event, produced by BusinessWest and staged at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, has been revamped and improved to provide exposure and business opportunities for area companies. The cost for a 10-by-10 booth is $700 for members of all area chambers and $750 for non-members; corner booths are $750 for all chamber members and $800 for non-members, and a 10-by-20 booth is $1,200 for all chamber members and $1,250 for non-members. For more information, log onto www.businesswest.com or call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

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Chamber Corners Departments

ACCGS
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• July 8: ACCGS Legislative Steering Committee, 8-9 a.m., TD Bank Conference Center, Springfield.
•July 11: ACCGS Annual Golf Tournament, Ludlow Country Club, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., $150 per person.
•July 20: ACCGS Ambassadors Meeting, 4-5 p.m., EDC Conference Room, Springfield.

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

•July 18: 8th Annual Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Hickory Ridge Golf Course, Amherst. Sponsors: Hampshire Hospitality Group, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Applied Mortgage Services, Blair, Cutting & Smith, J.F. Conlon, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Mass. Business Assoc., MetLife, Health New England, and Fallon Community Health. Cost: $125 per player, $500 per foursome, includes lunch, tournament, dinner, gift, and goody bag. Register at [email protected] or (413) 253-0700.

Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• July 14: Networking By Night Business Card Exchange, “Waterski Show Night,” 5-7 p.m., hosted by Oxbow Water Ski Show Team, 100 Old Springfield Road, Northampton. Sponsored by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. Gala waterski show, door prizes, hors d’ouevres, host beer and wine. Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members.
• July 29: 27th Annual Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Golf Tourney, 9 a.m. shotgun start – scramble. Hosted by Southampton Country Club, College Highway, Southampton. Major sponsor: Easthampton Savings Bank. Golf with cart, lunch, dinner, gift, contests. Win a Buick hole in one sponsored by Cernak Buick; $10,000 hole in one sponsored by Finck & Perras Insurance. Cost: $100 per person, $400 per foursome.

Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• July 14: 34th Annual Pancake Breakfast, 7-11 a.m., Westfield South Middle School, rain or shine. Cost: $5, $4 for seniors, $2 for children. Vendor tables available for $75 for members, $100 for non-members. Call chamber office at (413) 568-1618 for tickets.

Briefcase

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Briefcase Departments

AIM Business Confidence Index Slumped in May
BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index dropped 4.4 points in May to 51.7 as state employers confronted a slowing economy and continuing uncertainty about the course of recovery. “The results mirror the national news,” said Raymond Torto, global chief economist at CB Richard Ellis Group Inc., the chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA), in a statement. “A series of economic reports is telling us what AIM members were seeing in mid-May — disappointing growth and job creation, weakness in manufacturing and real estate, and declining consumer confidence locally and nationally, along with renewed turmoil in the euro zone and its impact on financial markets.” The economy, Torto added, “as we’ve often noted, is getting better but remains far from healthy, so it will be subject to relapses like this. The factors at work now are very similar to those that produced a dip in confidence last spring, with some added concerns about East Asia.” AIM’s Business Confidence Index, issued monthly since July 1991, uses a 100-point scale to judge business conditions, with 50 as neutral. Its historical high was 68.5, attained in 1997 and 1998; its all-time low was 33.3 in February 2009. “The index has been in positive territory for the past eight months, and it is up 12.7 points over two years, with most of its gain in late 2009 and early 2010,” Torto noted. “The economy, though clearly in stronger and more stable condition than it was in 2009, has yet to achieve sustained, robust growth.” All of the sub-indices based on selected questions or respondent characteristics gave ground in May along with the main index. The Massachusetts Index of business conditions prevailing within the Commonwealth dropped 1.5 points to 48.2, while the U.S. Index of national conditions fell 1.6 to 44.3. Since March 2010, the state indicator was ahead 4.1, and its national counterpart up 3.0 points. The Current Index of conditions prevailing at the time of the survey was off 4.2 points at 49.7, while the Future Index of expected conditions six months ahead lost 4.5 to 53.7. The Company Index, which measures survey respondents’ overall confidence in the situations of their own operations, dropped 6.6 points in May to 54.7. The two other company-specific sub-indices also fell, the Sales Index by 6.8 to 54.1 and the Employment Index by 6.0 to 51.9. Confidence was off among both manufacturers (-3.2 to 54.6) and other employers (-5.5 to 47.7); it also fell both in Greater Boston (-3.6 to 43.0) and outside the metropolitan area (-6.5 to 49.0). There was no clear pattern of responses by size of company. The monthly Business Confidence Index is based on a survey of AIM member companies across Massachusetts, asking questions about current and prospective business conditions in the state and nation, as well as respondents’ own operations. On the Index’s 100-point scale, a reading above 50 indicates that the state’s employer community is predominantly optimistic, while a reading below 50 points to a negative assessment of business conditions. A number of component sub-indices are derived by analyzing responses to selected questions or those of particular groups of respondents.

State Leading Growth Rate
BOSTON — The U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis recently showed that U.S. exports of goods and services in April 2011 increased 1.3% from March 2011 to a record $175.6 billion, with record exports of both goods ($126.4 billion) and services ($49.1 billion). The monthly export values for U.S. industrial supplies ($43.4 billion) and capital goods ($41.0 billion) was also the highest on record.  U.S. imports of goods and services decreased 0.4% over this period to $219.2 billion, causing the U.S. trade deficit to decline 6.7% below March figures to $43.7 billion in April. “Over the past six months, the economy has added more than a million private-sector jobs, and exports — boosted by the president’s National Export Initiative — are helping us do that,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in a statement. “President Obama announced several new commitments that will help 500,000 young Americans get the credentials they need to succeed in the manufacturing industry. Preparing Americans for good-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector will not only strengthen the economy and put people back to work, but will help us compete in today’s 21st-century global economy.” Locke noted that April is the second consecutive month of record export growth, and while there may be bumps on the road to recovery, he added that the administration is making the economy more competitive by fostering new jobs in new industries, and helping to educate and train workers to fill them. In Massachusetts, the state’s economy grew 4.2% in 2010, ranking it fourth in the nation in economic growth, according to the Commerce Department. The technology and health care industries have fueled the state’s growth, allowing Massachusetts to recover faster than the nation as a whole. Across the region, Vermont ranked second after Massachusetts with 3.2% growth, followed by Connecticut with 3.1%, Rhode Island with 2.8%, Maine with 2.1%, and New Hampshire with 1.3%.

Incorporations

By
Departments Incorporations

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.

BLANDFORD

Blandford Police Association Inc., 1 Russell Stage Road, Blandford, MA 01008. Dennis Flores, same. Nonprofit organization developed to purchase equipment for police officers.

EASTHAMPTON

Fluery’s Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., 126-L Northampton, St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Stephan Fleury, 9 Campbell Dr., Easthampton, MA 01027. Power equipment sales and service.

FEEDING HILLS

Asha Krishna Inc., 121 Elizabeth St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Rameshbhai  Patel, same. Package store.

FRANKLIN

Chez Mieux Inc., 140 Wachusett St., Franklin, MA 02038. Patricia Dowd, same. Domestic animal boarding facility.

GRANBY

Abelson Medical Career Advising Inc., 134 Gold Hill Road, Granby, MA 01033.Herbert Abelson, same. Advising and consultation for applicants applying to medical school.

GREAT BARRINGTON

Camille’s Market Inc., 389 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA 01245. Frank Savino, same. Food market for specialty food products.

GREENFIELD

Chabad Jewish Center of Franklin County Inc., 25 Haywood St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Menachem Hecht, same.  Community Center for worship.

HADLEY

Ethan’s Eden Landscape and Design Inc., 21 North Maple St., Hadley, MA 01035. Nikkie, Laforte, same. Landscape and landscape design services.

HOLYOKE

Farm Chef Corporation, 40 Mackintosh Terrace, Holyoke, MA 01040. Daniel Ross, same. Business networking.

Final Expense Insurance Services Corp., 10 Woodbridge St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Henry Smith, same. Insurance products and services.

LEE

Chapel River Inc., 1370 Pleasant St., South Lee, MA 01260. Philip Pryjma, 301 Great Barrington, MA 01230. Retail sales.

MIDDLEFIELD

Ezmereld Inc., 16 Bell Road, Middlefield, MA 02143. Adair Laurel-Cafarella, 48 Chester Road, Middlefield, MA 02143. Community recreation and activity center.

PITTSFIELD

BCC Engineering Scholarship Committee Inc., 85 Ridge Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Dirk Peterson, 128 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA 01985. Engineering Alumni scholarship fund.

SOUTH HADLEY

Ari Automotive Inc., 609 Newton St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Jeffrey Beaulieau, same. Auto repair services.

Colonial Carpentry Innovations Inc., 566 Amherst Road, South Hadley, MA01075. Jennifer Deforge, same. Design and building construction.

SPRINGFIELD

All Stars Youth Soccer Inc., 123 Patricia Circle, Springfield, MA 01119.Ozzie Alban, 215 Jasper St., Springfield, MA 01109. Youth soccer league.

Cogic Family Service Corporation, 35 Alden St., Indian Orchard, Springfield, MA 01109. Silena Kearse, 85 David St., Springfield, MA 01104. Nonprofit organization committed to the education or men, women and children; to assist those in the community in need; to promote social activities and promote public and human resources in the community.

Eternal Nail Salon Inc., 1195 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01118. Nicole Chen, 19 Abbott St., Springfield, MA 01118. Nail salon.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

ASG Seamless Gutters Inc., 76 Merrick St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Yuri Grechka, 77 Nicole Terrace, Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Home construction and remodeling.

First Choice Transportation Inc., 249 Main St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Mustafa Gusenov, same. Commercial transportation of foods, specialty goods, vehicles, and other commodities via flatbed, container and heavy hauling trailers.

WESTFIELD

Direct Auto Promotions East Inc., 300 East Main St., Westfield, MA 01085. Michelle Dicienzo, 90 Southwood Dr., Ludlow, MA 01056. Motor vehicle and recreational vehicle sales and service.

Direct Auto Realty East Inc., 300 East Main St., Westfield, MA 01085. Michelle Dicienzo, 90 Southwood Dr., Ludlow, MA 01056.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Bamboo Star Inc., 412 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267. Lan Ying Lin, same.  Chinese Restaurant.

Doing Business As Certificates

By
DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2011.

AGAWAM

Commonwealth Cannon
1063 Main St.
Michael Mercadante

Francis Kelly Massage Therapy
1 South End Bridge Circle
Kathy Porcello

Sophia’s Nail Care
854 Suffield St.
Viet Q. Nguyen

The Sand Trap
1399 Suffield St.
Nicholas Ventrice

AMHERST

High Horse Brewery and Bistro
24 North Pleasant St.
Jason Dicaprio

Painting Unlimited Wood Carving
233 North Pleasant St.
Alvaro Ramos-Jaco

Rhys Davies Design
41 Blue Hills Road
Rhys Davies

Vici Hair Studio and Beauty Bar
189 North Pleasant St.
Maria Amarosa

HOLYOKE

Chris’ Cut & Design
910 Hampden St.
Kenneth A. Adams

Fashion Nails
293 High St.
Quynh Dao

Fish-on Tackle
98 Nonotuck St.
Elsa D. Tenczar

Old Navy
50 Holyoke St.
Thomas Croston

Strum’s Deli & Meats
502 Westfield Road
David Amedeo

The Creative Strategy Agency
4 Open Square Way
Alfonso Santaniello

NORTHAMPTON

Brewmaster Jack
13 Market St.
Tyler Guilmette

Champaca Journeys
35 New South St.
John Leupold

Country Comfort
153 Main St.
Eva Trager

Creative Roots Landscape Design
39 Matthew Dr.
Anthony Medeiros

Honeybee Reflexology
68 Cherry St.
Jeanell Innerarity

Kevin’s Haircuts
128 King St.
Kevin Ovitt

SOUTHWICK

Fox Den Restaurant
161 Sheep Pasture Road
Paul Bshara

LDLTS
18 Sheep Pasture Road
John Parker

Moo-Licious Farm
258 Feeding Hills Road
Joseph Deedy

SPRINGFIELD

AWU
41 Somerst St.
Germain Anthony Bryan

ACE Taxi
295 Allen St.
Yasir E. Osman

Apartment Listings
180 Massachusetts Ave.
Raja S. Akbar

Cathy’s Food Consulting
807 Worthington St.
Perla Quioto

Dales’ Corner
142 Dickinson St.
Tazeen Rafiq

Dearprisoner.com
53 Lester St.
Morning Bambi

E.T.K’s Nothing Fancy
65 Dickinson St.
Eugenia M. Finnell

Enoch Construction
118 Cornell St.
Clive L. Ryan

Finishing Touch
69 Clayton St.
Alfred Shattelroe

Glamorous Canine Salon
258 Main St.
Julie Slatton

Highly Blessed Entertainment
44 Prospect St.
Jennifer Ray

J & R Mowing Service
98 Orange St.
Roberto Vicente

Jenny Beauty Solon
618 Belmont Ave.
Jose J. Vargas

Larry’s Landscaping
410 Grayson Dr.
Larry Croteau

Law Office of Nancy Louise
83 State St.
Nancy Louise

Lazy Valley Winery
30-40 Front St.
Scott D. Santaniello

WESTFIELD

All-Stars Dance Center
209 Root Road
Kim Starsiak

DAS Alarm Systems, Inc.
845 Airport Industrial Park Road
David Schenna

Mama Cakes
31 Elm St.
Kimberly McNutt

Menard Construction & Design
46 Stuart Place
Dennis Menard

New Corner Variety
2 Crown St.
Laura Parker

Professional Handyman
20 Old Feeding Hills Road
Keith Meyer

Swayger Plumbing & Heating
18 Llewellyn Dr.
Michael Swayger

Yellow Stonehouse Farm
354 Root Road
Constance L. Adams

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Balise Collision Repair Center
1800 Riverdale St.
Balise Motor Sales Company

Balise Honda
400 Riverdale St.
Balise Motor Sales Company

Kohl’s
935 Riverdale St.
Cheryl Oswald

Masstrans Insurance Agency
54 Oleander St.
Roman Shtefan

New York Sound & Motion
180 Doty Cir.
Edward Brown III

Superior Cuts
450 Main St.
Ricardo Guzman

Top of the Line Goalkeeping
65 Craig Dr.
Matthew Andrea

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies Departments

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Amegan, Samuel K.
a/k/a Lusam Sarl
a/k/a Amegan, Samuel Wonder
146 Pleasantview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Azizi-Bonakdar, Shahab
Mortazi-Biabani, Zahra
11 Luden St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Bean, William D.
Bean, Sheila M.
62 Sadler Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Bona, Michael
Gooley, Pamela
84 Washington Mountain Road
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Bond, Michael S.
Bond, Shannon L.
2178 Main St.
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Bosworth, Latoya D.
43 Pearl St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Brasee, Jennifer M.
10 Crescent St.
Huntington, MA 01050
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Broga, Wayne E.
41 Cortland St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Caballero, Jason
33 Turnpike Road
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Cook, Mary Lynn
a/k/a Ovitt, Mary Lynn
96 Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Coughlin, Kelly Lee
109 Stuart St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/09/11

D’Ascoli, Virginia
133 Odion Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

DePalma, Silvio
50 Sheffield Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Deslauriers, Paul C.
P.O. Box 533
West Stockbridge, MA 01266
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Devine, Michael P.
7C Mansion Woods Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Dill, Ralph
311 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Dyer, Corey Adam
88 Federal St.
Millers Falls, MA 01349
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

E P D Refinishing
Dickson, Edward P.
Dickson, Debra A.
16 Beyer Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Eggleston, Diana
146 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Elias, Darlene
17 Clark St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Elliott, Kevin G.
47 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Ericson, David J.
Ericson, Lenor R.
34 Berkshire Ter.
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/04/11

Farrell, Irma J.
45 Lois St.
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/11

Ferrero, Thomas M.
93 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Gallagher, Michael P.
546 Polikoff Road
Ashley Falls, MA 01222
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Gautreau, Guy T.
Gautreau, Jill A.
a/k/a Osowski, Jill A.
7 Stuart Place
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Gelinas, James C.
Gelinas, Elianne J.
37 Kathleen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Germain, Raynard T.
Germain, Bambi
835 North Orange Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Goodnight, I. Ted
24 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Goodreau, Gerald J.
Goodreau, Nicole M.
a/k/a Kutt, Nicole M.
565 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Gorey, Linda A.
427 Davis St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Grant, Craig A.
33 Buckingham Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Grish Inc.
Corinne’s Place
Keegan, Corinne A.
17 Parker St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Grossman, Michelle M.
29 Highview Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Grzyb, Andrzej
763 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Hagie, James A.
Hagie, Sandra L.
41 Dorset Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Hankins, Sharon L.
16 Fredette St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/04/11

Hedblom, Geraldine
PO Box 607
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Herrera, Jose A.
Nieves, Aracelis
10-12 Vigeant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Hidden Treasures
Anzalotti, Bernice M.
30 Fernwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Jacobs, Brenda K.
230 Hungerford St.
Box 7
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Jette, Luke Jacob
Jette, Christina Marie Tyler
a/k/a Tyler, Christina Marie
27 Sears St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Johnston, Jennifer Z.
876 Florence Road
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Jon’s Auto Sales
Baldwin, Jon S.
P.O.Box 51394
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Jurek, Michael J.
90 Jurek Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/15/11

Jurkowski, Kevin J.
44 Allison Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Juskiewicz, Patricia Ann
146 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Kenney, Susan E.
P.O. Box 634
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/11

Kusnick, Eric S.
Kusnick, Shauna L.
a/k/a Romanko, Shauna L.
15 Woronoco Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

LaBumbard, Daniel C.
LaBumbard, Shelby L.
a/k/a Adams, Shelby L.
3 Pine Hill Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

LaFleche, Wayne Alan
LaFleche, Tracy Michele
179 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Leary, Kristin M.
50 Edward Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Leiper, Daniel B.
Leiper, Casie M.
130 Spear Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Li Wok Express Inc.
Li, Zhi Ping
Li, Ping E.
3 Belli Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Liebro, Mary Jane
480 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Lowell, Laura A.
69 Lake George Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Mahoney, Tricia Ann
88 Highland Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Maia, Denise E.
13 Green St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Majgier, Rose M.
21 Sunflower Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Malloy, Patricia Ann
19 Green River Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Manalokon, Kristoffer D.
1535 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Mazuch, William M.
69 Old Stage Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

McDonough, Edward T.
39 Myron St., #30
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

McFarland, Jeremiah M.
McFarland, Elpitha
118 8th Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Medders, Deborah K.
25 Harold St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Medina, Jr., Pedro
21 Carlisle St.
Springfield, MA 01109-2806
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Murphy, Timothy Karl
24 Arlington St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Myo/Works
Rauch, Carol L.
45 Birch St.
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Nurak, Joseph M.
76 Maple St., Apt 802
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Ohradka, Daniel
Ohradka, Martina
167 South Westfield St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Owens, April Paige
520 A Pleasant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Parent, Patricia
123 Strong St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Pendleton, Kevin M.
21 Bacon Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Pereira, Lee Sandra
20 Maplecrest Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Pereira, Rafael
66 Regency Park Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Perry, Brian D.
21 Kelley St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/04/11

Petrauskas, Edward A.
123 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01351
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Pinkos, Mary Ann J.
42 Adams Road – Unit 17
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Racette, Christine K.
247 Grove St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Ramos, Gary Louis
51-53 Howes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Roberge, Daniel A.
180 Berkshire St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/12/11

Rood, Timothy Edward
Rood, Lisa Marie
18 Kania St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Ross, Marjorie E.
a/k/a Thomas, Marjorie
110 Undine Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Salvador, Melanie L.
79 Willowbrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Sansouci, Paul R.
57 Echo Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/11

Shaclumis, Mary Kate
P.O. Box 227
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Sheldon, Frank J.
64 Potash Hill Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Sherman, Keith
52 Cabot St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Sherman, Samantha J.
P.O.Box 1038
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Silverstein, Stephen S.
Silverstein, Kim L.
7 Vinton Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Slattery, Eileen M.
8 William St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Sonn, Sarah A.
20A Hartwell Ave.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/11

Speedway Transportation
Vintage Auto Pickers
Sorel, Donald A.
123 Watson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Spurling, Marcella Lynne
123 North St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Stone, Lissa J.
84 Riverview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Taylor, Tony M.
1341 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/11

Thagard, Scott Alan
20 Denwall Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Thomas, Paul D.
2178 Main St.
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Tomas, Maria O.
157 Hermitage Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/06/11

Tortora, Daniel J.
Tortora, Pamela A.
80 Deer Run Circle
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Tourigny, Loretta J.
15 South Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Tourigny, Steven D.
15 South Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Tucker, Cheryl Ann
1200 Berkshire Ave.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Turner, Raymond E.
575 Maple St.
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Tyler, Michelle L.
91 Corcoran Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Urbini, Gina M.
a/k/a Moya, Gina M.
9 Savoy Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/13/11

Wesolowski, Gary A.
9 Boisvert St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/11

Wilbur, Bonny Lee
409 New Braintree Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Wilbur, Richard A.
409 New Braintree Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/11

Winchester, Richard R.
42 Manchester Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/11

Woodbury, Susan M.
118 Clairmont Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Ziolkowski, Mark
Ziolkowski, Deborah J.
239 Hovey Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/11

Editorial

By
Opinion
A Time to Rebuild, Reinvigorate

There’s a new billboard at the rotary just off the Memorial Bridge. It reads ‘Rebuilding West Springfield’ in large block letters, and then directs readers to a Web site with information about the community’s efforts to bounce back from the June 1 tornado.
There’s a lot of symbolism and poignancy attached to this board; it sits alone amid a cluster of sign stanchions from which billboards had been blown off by the tornado. Only a few yards away, a small commercial building sits with its roof caved in. All around the rotary, on the riverfront, and down Memorial Avenue are signs of the devastation, from broken windows to trees shorn of limbs and bark, to business signs missing letters or whole words.
In many ways, the board represents a region starting anew amid rubble. And while the sign says ‘Rebuilding West Springfield’ — it sits at the entrance to that community — one could substitute that name with any of more than dozen other cities or towns, or the region itself.
Indeed, this is a time of rebuilding, but it’s more than that, really. This is a test of the region’s character and its mettle — and it’s also a chance to do something memorable.
Since the tornado hit, there have been countless stories told and retold of bravery, resilience, and, above all, generosity and caring. We’ve all read and heard them: people who lost their homes or businesses putting aside their issues and asking if others needed help; businesses using their influence, resources, and imagination to find ways to assist others and inspiring others to join them; people driving out of their way or doing something extraordinary to support businesses that were in the path of the tornado and desperately needed that support.
Since the tornadoes sliced through Western Mass., there has been a noticeable energy in this region, a determination to persevere and simply rise above. It is our sincere hope that this is not something temporary, something that will dissipate when the blue plastic tarps now covering hundreds of roofs across the region have disappeared from the landscape.
That’s because there were plenty of other issues to contend with in this region long before the tornadoes started to show on Doppler systems — and they will still be here long after all the fallen trees, broken glass, and smashed cars have been picked up. For starters, the recovery of 2011 just hasn’t materialized, and no one knows when it will. Meanwhile, we’re still struggling, mightily, to find new sources of jobs for this region and to present employers with a workforce qualified to carry out those jobs.
The first priority for this region is to rebuild and fully recover from the tornadoes. The second priority, we feel, is to take that aforementioned energy we described, as well as the fortitude and imagination, and apply all that to those other problems in the same way we applied it to the process of recovery.
In very simple terms, what the region did after the storm was essentially raise the bar in terms of its collective resourcefulness. Let’s keep it there, and maybe raise it even higher when it comes to the broad goals we’ve all set for a stronger, more diverse economy.
It’s time to stand out — just like that billboard.