Home 2013
Chamber Corners Departments

AFFILIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Jan. 8: ACCGS Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at Ludlow Country Club, 1 Tony Lema Drive, Ludlow. The program will be “Success of Small Business,” a moderated panel discussion. For more information, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1310 or [email protected].
• Jan. 15: ACCGS After 5, 5-7 p.m., at the Melha Shrine Center, 133 Longhill St., Springfield. Come clown around with us! Cost: $5. For more information, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1310 or [email protected].

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Jan. 23: Big Raffle Drawing, 6 p.m. Only 300 tickets are for sale each year. Grand prize: $5,000; second prize: $500;
third prize, $200; fourth prize: $100, fifth prize: $50. The drawing takes place at the annual dinner meeting, Jan. 23, and you do not need to be present to win. For more information or to enter, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Jan. 28: Nonprofit Marketing Roundtable 2014 Workshop, 8-9:30 a.m., at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by the Creative Marketing Group. Struggling to gain visibility with your target audience? Are your marketing materials producing tangible results? Are your best messaging ideas living only in your head? The  chamber has help on the way. Three women business owners — Janice Beetle, Ruth Griggs, and Maureen Scanlon of the Creative, a marketing and communications collaboration in Northampton — will lead a nonprofit Flash marketing workshop. They will meet with business owners, listen to your marketing and communications concerns, and help you brainstorm practical, professional solutions on the spot. Learn more about how to strategize, advertise, brand, and promote your business; reach the media; and maximize your message in person, in print, and online. The workshop is free, but pre-registration is required, and space is limited. To register, contact Jasmin Tomic at (413) 584-1900 or [email protected].

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.professionalwomenschamber.com
(413) 755-1310

• Jan. 15: PWC Tabletop Business Expo/Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield. Showcase your product or service. For more information about the Professional Women’s Chamber, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1310 or [email protected].

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Jan. 8: January After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., at the Westwood Restaurant & Pub, 94 North Elm St., Westfield. Sponsored by Northpoint Mortgage. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members, cash at the door. Haven’t been to an After 5? Your first one is free. For more information or to register, contact Pam at (413) 568-1618.
• Jan. 13: Health Care Symposium (time to be announced), at the Dever Stage, Parenzo Hall, Westfield State University. Presenter: Lynn Nichols, president of the Mass. Hospital Assoc. Sponsored by Noble Hospital. For more information or to register, contact Pam at (413) 568-1618.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
413-426-3880

• TBA: January Coffee with Mayor Cohen. Date and location to be announced. Keep checking website for updates, or e-mail [email protected].
• Feb. 5: Wicked Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., at Crestview Country Club, Agawam. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events hosted by various businesses and restaurants. These events bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. Cost: free for chamber members, $10 for non-members. (Event is open to the public; attendees must pay at the door if they’re non-members.) For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].
• Feb. 26: West of the River Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., at the Storrowton Tavern Carriage House, West Springfield. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
www.springfieldyps.com

• Jan. 16: January Third Thursday YPS Open House, 5-7 p.m., at the Colony Club, 1500 Main St., Springfield. Don’t miss this upcoming Third Thursday and the unique opportunity to become more involved with the YPS. Complementary parking in the Tower Square garage with elevator access directly to the venue. YPS is a guest of the Colony Club for this event. We ask that you please respect and follow their business-casual dress code; jeans will not be permitted. There will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. Invite your friends and bring plenty of business cards. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members, including food and a cash bar.

Law Sections
Are You Up to Speed on the Advantages and New Regulations for 2014?

Hyman G. Darling

Hyman G. Darling

More and more people are starting to realize that reverse mortgages aren’t just for those struggling to keep their homes. These loans can also work for affluent retirees as a tax-savings strategy (using income-tax-free funds to pay off traditional mortgages rather than using taxable retirement-savings income) and for those who are looking for a cushion to keep them from selling investments at the wrong time. In prior years, it was fairly expensive to get a reverse mortgage, because the fees were considerably higher than those of a typical mortgage or home-equity loan, but that has changed. A reverse mortgage, also known as a home-equity-conversion mortgage, becomes a good solution for people who may wish to cash in on the equity in their house.
If you (or your parents) need additional funds for home care or possibly to pay the costs of living, including heat, taxes, insurance, etc., then a reverse mortgage is a valuable alternative, since it does not need to be paid back during your lifetime. One of the problems, however, is that, once the limit is reached on the withdrawal amount of the loan, further funds are not available, and you may have to either sell the house or attempt to obtain a new reverse mortgage if the value of the home has increased sufficiently.
A reverse mortgage is similar to a regular mortgage, except that the bank advances funds to you, either in a lump sum or on an annuity basis, or possibly merely on a credit basis, which means that you can withdraw funds as desired up to the allowed maximum. The loan does not have to be paid back unless you die or live out of the house for at least six months, possibly in a long-term-care facility. As long as at least one spouse lives in the home, however, no payments need to be made, nor does the house have to be sold.
In most cases, your assets and income are not considered for a loan to be approved or denied, as the bank is merely funding it based on the equity in your house. Also, in most cases, the funds received from a reverse mortgage do not adversely affect your eligibility for any governmental benefits, since it is not construed to be income, but rather, merely the withdrawal of equity from your home.
Many retirees have already transferred their houses to their children and reserved a life estate. In these cases, provided that they (the homeowners) are at least 62 years old, many banks will consider providing them with a reverse mortgage, but their children will have to sign off on the mortgage also. If this is a concern for your kids, they could deed the house back to you, but this may trigger an additional five-year waiting period, in the event that you wish to re-transfer the property to your children, in order to protect the asset from long-term-care expenses.

What’s New in 2014?
Created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one of the most important new regulations that go into effect Jan. 1, 2014 prohibits banks from approving mortgages for anyone whose debt-to-income ratio is higher than 43%. This means that borrowers’ total debt liability, including housing, should not be more than 43% of their income. A qualified mortgage is one that would be eligible for resale on the secondary mortgage market.
The other new rule requires banks to limit the fees for originating mortgages to no more than 3% of the loan amount. This could discourage many institutions from pursuing loans for lower-priced houses.
While the ability-to-repay rules, effective in January 2014, will now apply to most mortgage loans, they exclude certain types of loans, such as home-equity lines of credit, time-share plans, and reverse mortgages.
Until the new rules become effective, almost any homeowner who had equity in a home could qualify for a reverse mortgage. However, starting Jan. 13, 2014, there will be new underwriting standards for new applications to ensure that borrowers have the ability to continue to pay taxes and insurance on an ongoing basis. Additionally, homeowners may be able to draw only 60% of the available principal limit, unless there are mandatory obligations, such as mortgage payoffs or liens. Credit-card debt is not considered a mandatory obligation.

Conclusion
Prior to obtaining a reverse mortgage, the federal government requires that you be counseled as to its pros and cons. This counseling is free, and you may obtain information from the AARP Reverse Mortgage Education Program by calling (800) 209-8085. You may also wish to contact an elder-law attorney who is also skilled in advising clients as to the benefits and detriments of obtaining a reverse mortgage.

Attorney Hyman G. Darling is chairman of Bacon Wilson, P.C.’s Estate Planning and Elder Law departments. His areas of expertise include all areas of estate planning, probate, and elder law. He is a frequent lecturer on various estate-planning and elder-law topics at local and national levels, and he hosts a popular estate-planning blog at bwlaw.blogs.com/estate_planning_bits; (413) 781-0560; [email protected]

40 Under 40 Events
Nominations Are Being Accepted for the 40 Under Forty Class of 2014

40under40-LOGO2012Jeff Fialky called it “quality control.”
That’s how he chose to describe the third and final phase of his process for scoring the more than 100 nominees for BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2013.
Fialky, a member of the Class of 2008 and one of five judges of last year’s candidates, said he started his assignment by simply reading each of the nominations in their entirety, without assigning any scores, to get what he called a “flavor, and basis of comparison.”
“I then flipped the stack back over and went through them again,” he went on, adding that he did so with some gauges, or barometers, that would help him assign a number — 1 through 10 — to each of those nominations. The so-called quality-control work came the following morning, after a good night’s sleep and with some fresh perspective, when he went through the pile one more time to assess the numbers he assigned to each candidate to make sure he was totally comfortable with each one.
“I think I probably changed a dozen scores — not significantly, maybe one number up or down, based upon comparisons with the other nominees,” he said, adding that he’s not sure how the other judges went about their work last February, but he’s quite sure that the subjectivity that is part and parcel to the judging process is one of the things that makes the 40 Under Forty competition unique and what he called a “perfectly imperfect” undertaking.
“This 40 Under Forty program is about distinguishing oneself in the community,” he noted. “Whether it’s personally or professionally, it is truly a comparative exercise, and the fact that judges come at it in different ways makes it more compelling.  And while those approaches are different from each other, the end result is a great compilation of leadership in the Valley.”
Mark O’Connell agreed. The managing partner of Wolf & Co., with offices in Boston and Springfield, he also judged the Class of 2013, and took a decidedly different tack, what he called a more “analytic approach.”
Elaborating, he said he assigned hard numbers to certain aspects of candidates’ résumés — with a specific total of points awarded for such things as owning one’s business, getting involved with area nonprofits, and earning acclaim within one’s profession. The process, he said, took some of the subjectivity out of the equation.
“It became a mathematical process, essentially, and I was able to draw a line under the first 40,” he said, noting that, while his method may have been different from those used by others, he believed it worked, because only a handful of “his” top 40 were not eventually identified as winners.
By mid-February, another group of five judges (they’re profiled on page 18) will be developing their own strategies for assigning scores for what will likely be another 100 or so candidates in this, the eighth edition of the 40 Under Forty competition.
It all began in late 2006, said BusinessWest Associate Publisher Kate Campiti, when the magazine decided to embrace a concept used by a number of business publications across the country to identify, profile, and celebrate rising young stars in a given community.
Over the years, individuals from nearly every sector of the economy — from healthcare to retailing; technology to law; banking to nonprofit management — have made the list and climbed to the podium in late June to accept their plaque and the applause of friends, family, colleagues, and fellow recipients past and present.
The Class of 2013 was especially diverse, with the list of winners including a charter school founder, a construction company owner, several lawyers, an environmental scientist, and the vice president of sales for a company making next-generation hand dryers.
It was a class that surprised Fialky in some respects, and in a positive way.
“What I really enjoyed about my experience judging was seeing all the talent potential in the valley,” he explained. “You know that there’s been so many honorees over the prior years, and you intuitively think that the talent pool has been exhausted. But then you look at all the nominations, and you realize that it’s only the tip of the iceberg that’s been tapped.
“Some years favor service providers, some years favor nonprofit managers, some favor entrepreneurs, and some favor strength of character,” he went on, referring to the general makeup of the previous six classes. “I think last year’s class had an element of all four of those things.”
O’Connell concurred. “I think this was a great class — I came away very impressed,” he said, “and also feeling very good about the future of this region.”
There are now 280 people in the unique fraternity that is 40 Under Forty, said Campiti, noting that many of them have moved on to different jobs and different challenges, and some of them now have a different area code on their cell phones, but their 40 Under Forty plaque usually goes with them wherever they go.
Fialky agreed.
“It’s become a symbol of excellence, a symbol of leadership, if you will,” he said, adding that 40 Under Forty has become both a brand and something to aspire to.
The popularity — and importance — of the 40 Under Forty program has been driven home by the steady growth and evolution of the annual 40 Under Forty gala, this year to be staged on June 19 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. Last year, the event drew a sellout crowd of more than 650 people, who were treated to fine food, perfect weather, and an eclectic array of music, chosen by the winners to accompany their ascension to the stage.
“The gala has become a happening, a not-to-be missed gathering that is also the year’s best networking opportunity,” said Campiti, adding that those who wish to attend must act quickly, because the gala traditionally sells out weeks before the event.
Before anyone can move to the stage to get their plaque, however, they must be nominated. And both Campiti and Fialky, who has been on both sides of the equation — as both candidate and judge — stressed repeatedly that 40 Under Forty is a nomination-driven process, something that is still lost on many who wish to forward a name and résumé for consideration.
“That’s where it starts, with the nomination,” said Campiti. “It needs to be complete, it needs to be thorough, and it needs to essentially answer the question, ‘why is this individual worthy of a 40 Under Forty plaque?’”
The nomination form requests the basic information on an individual, said Campiti, and can be supported with other material, such as a résumé, testimonials, and even press clippings highlighting an individual’s achievements in their chosen profession or within their community.
Nominations must be received by the end of the business day (5 p.m.) on Feb. 7. Judges will then score those nominations, and the winners will be notified by mail by the end of the month.
The chosen 40 will be profiled in the magazine’s April 21 edition, with gala tickets going on sale soon thereafter. For more information, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.

Fast Facts
What: The 40 Under Forty nomination process
Deadline: Feb. 7 at 5 p.m.
How to Nominate: Use the form in BusinessWest (it will also appear in subsequent editions), or go here.
For More Information: Call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or visit www.businesswest.com.
The 40 under forty Gala: June 19
Where: The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House
Tickets: They’ll go on sale in late April and will first be made available to winners and their families and employers.

Law Sections
Many Pending Bills Will Have a Significant Impact on Employers

By ANNIE E. LAJOIE, Esq. and KARINA L. SCHRENGOHST

Annie Lajoie

Annie Lajoie

Karina L. Schrengohst

Karina L. Schrengohst

As we usher in the new year, employers should be mindful of pending legislation that has the potential to impact their businesses. Here are some things to keep an eye on.

Independent Contractors
One piece of legislation related to independent contractors potentially offers game-changing good news for employers. There are several bills proposed that would make independent-contractor status more feasible, one of which is universally germane. With the change of one word, this proposed legislation would make a previously insurmountable hurdle less challenging.
The proposed bill would change the ‘and,’ which currently requires satisfying an essentially impossible three-prong test, to an ‘or,’ which would allow categorizing an individual as an independent contractor even though he or she performs services that are within the company’s usual course of business.  While there would still be a presumption of employment, it would be phenomenally easier to establish an independent-contractor relationship.
In more good news for franchisors, another proposed bill would clarify that franchisees are independent contractors and not employees. A third bill would allow freelance writers, editors, proofreaders, artists, and similar persons who work out of their own residence whose work constitutes intellectual property, to which copyright laws apply, to be classified as independent contractors.
Massachusetts independent-contractor law is long overdue for a change. The proposed changes would allow employers to maintain independent-contractor relationships where previously the burden was virtually impossible and misclassification was a large risk with hefty penalties.

Non-compete Agreements
Our governor would like to do away with non-compete agreements. The first step toward this is proposed legislation that would further limit the enforceability of non-compete agreements between employers and employees. Pending bills seek to limit the duration of these restrictive covenants to as little as six months.
In addition, pending legislation would limit use of non-compete agreements to employees with a minimum salary of $75,000 per year. Similar to California employers, restrictive covenants may eventually be a thing of the past for Massachusetts employers.

Raising Minimum Wage
One challenge employers may face in the next year is an increase to the minimum wage. The Massachusetts Senate has already voted to raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 per hour to $11 per hour over a three-year period, and future increases would be tied to the rate of inflation.
Restaurant owners should take note that this legislation could have a detrimental impact on their business. This pending bill would increase the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.63 per hour to half the minimum wage.
If this legislation passes, employers would see an increase as early as July 1, 2014.

Paid Sick Time
Pending legislation would mandate that employers provide sick time to full-time, part-time, and temporary employees. Here’s a breakdown:
• Employers with 11 or more employees would be required to provide up to seven paid sick days per year;
• Employers with six to 10 employees would be required to provide up to five paid sick days per year;
• Employers with five or fewer employees would be required to provide up to five unpaid sick days per year; and
• Employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours they work.
Unlike accrued vacation time, employers would not be required to pay unused sick time at separation. Also, seasonal employers would be exempt from these requirements. Finally, employers would still be able to require proof of need for the sick time, such as a doctor’s note.

Parental Leave Act
Legislators have set out to make the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act gender-neutral. The Parental Leave Act would expand coverage to men. Significantly, under this bill, employers would be required to give written notice to employees prior to the commencement of the leave that taking longer than eight weeks of leave may result in the loss of rights and benefits or denial of reinstatement.

Domestic Violence Bill
Finally, under proposed legislation, employers with 50 or more employees would be required to provide up to 15 days of job-secured leave per year for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to take time off to attend to court, housing, health, or other issues related to the abuse.
With new legislation comes new challenges. Consequently, employers would be wise to consult with employment counsel to stay abreast of new legal obligations to ensure compliance.

Annie E. Lajoie, Esq. specializes exclusively in management-side labor and employment law at Royal LLP, a woman-owned, SOMWBA-certified, boutique, management-side labor and employment law firm; (413) 586-2288; [email protected]. Karina L. Schrengohst, Esq. is an attorney at Royal LLP; (413) 586-2288; [email protected]

Commercial Real Estate Sections
Business Growth Center Lives Up to Name Change

Marla Michel

Director Marla Michel says the name change from the Scibelli Enterprise Center to the Business Growth Center represents a sharpening of the facility’s mission.

Owning a business can be an isolating existence, Marla Michel said. But it doesn’t have to be.
“Being a business owner can be very lonely and scary, and sometimes, even with your peers, you don’t want to let your hair down, to let your guard down,” she said. “You always have to project confidence as a business owner, because nobody wants to buy a product from a non-confident business owner.”
But that’s no excuse not to seek help when it’s needed, Michel added. As director of the Business Growth Center at the Springfield Technology Park, she’s been busy expanding the center’s programs, including its mentoring outreach to business owners.
“The way we do mentoring is, I build a team of professionals — three or four people who have experiences and skills and connections in areas relevant for that business owner — and we meet on a regular basis, anywhere from six to eight to 10 weeks, depending on where the company’s at; younger companies tend to need to meet more often.
“And we dialogue,” she continued, “about things that, for lack of a better word, are keeping the owner up at night. If we need to bring in other competencies and skills not on the team, we do. We allow it to be flowing because we have resources we can pull in at different times. And this development team serves as an informal advisory board for entrepreneurs and business owners.”
But for a mentoring program to work, she said, the business owner has to be honest and willing to accept advice.
“These mentoring teams allow a business owner to be himself or herself, and receive advice from people who know what they’re talking about, whether it’s an insurance expert, lawyer, accountant, or operations expert. Getting advice at the right time is very helpful, and time is money,” Michel said. “But, again, a company owner has to be willing. It’s easier to implement when you’re the kind of person who recognizes you don’t know it all.”
The fact that the Business Growth Center positively teems with knowledge, from the array of economic-development organizations, small businesses, and other agencies that populate the center, is one of its key strengths, she noted, and one that the center is actively marketing, not just to lease space at the center, but through a series of new programs and outreaches aimed at helping small businesses throughout the region grow and thrive.
To reflect that emphasis, what was originally called the Scibelli Enterprise Center — named for former Springfield Technical Community College President Andrew Scibelli, who shepherded the development of the Technology Park — changed its name to the Business Growth Center in October, although Scibelli’s name will continue to grace Building 101 in the complex, where the center is located.
“We felt that, for the program to reach its full capacity, we needed to change the name and embellish some of our programming,” Michel said. “The name ‘Business Growth Center’ speaks to businesses more than the Scibelli Enterprise Center. Now, the Business Growth Center is still a destination for space, but also a destination for programs, a destination for business owners to come when they’re thinking about growing.”
And that’s exactly what they should be thinking about, Michel said. “There was a growth study done by the UMass Donahue Institute that reinforces the reality that our region is dominated by very, very, very small companies, and they don’t know how to access capital.”
Why is that important? Consider the probability that MGM Resorts International will soon break ground on an $800 million casino in Springfield’s South End.
“If you have an operator like MGM that publicly says that, if it’s awarded a casino, it wants to commit $50 million to local businesses, you have to ask the question, do we have businesses that can bid on $50 million of business?” Michel asked. “Stated another way, can we keep that $50 million here? So we need to make sure that the companies that will bid for work for the casino have that capacity.”
In many ways, the facility is doing just that. In this issue, BusinessWest examines the changing face of the Business Growth Center, and the many ways in which it’s living up to its new name.

Growth Patterns

Dan Tuohey

Dan Tuohey says locating at the center and accessing its resources has been a factor in the growth of psi 91.

The Scibelli Enterprise Center was created as a program of STCC, Michel said, but in 2012, due to a round of budget cuts, the college decided not to support it in the same way; instead, it would continue as an administrative division of the Technology Park.
“We had been thinking a lot about where we wanted to go, and that accelerated the conversation about our community mission,” she said. “The Technology Park, although it was created to support the community in the interests of the college, didn’t have the programming — just the space.”
So the conversation turned to boosting the programming offered by the center. “This is a real opportunity for the Technology Park to expand its mission of economic development beyond creating space for good jobs, which is a very good component of economic development, to adding programming to support the growth of businesses implicitly.”
The new offerings include the Stronger Businesses program, an eight-week initiative aimed at leaders of both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises. Each week’s three-hour session focuses on a specific area — from growing a self-sustaining customer base to focusing on the right products and markets — with the goal of helping participants assess their operations, gain new tools for solving problems and pursuing opportunities, and better align their operations, marketing, human resources, and executive management. A new series of sessions begins Jan. 7.
“This is a great example of the state’s embrace of the new Business Growth Center,” Michel said. “We received a grant from the Mass Growth Capital Corp. to help fund this program to help companies build capacity through self-assessment and learning about strategic marketing and operational improvements.”
Then there’s Capacity Building for Growth, a two-day workshop (next dates: Jan. 21 and 28) that helps small businesses develop core skills for scaling up their companies, as well as learning how to secure contracts from larger corporations — all with the goal of increasing small-business activity in Greater Springfield while helping company owners move to the proverbial next level.
“We did a lot of research,” Michel said regarding all the new initiatives. “We didn’t just say we’re going to do this. We talked to Babson College, talked to the Federal Reserve, talked to many of our community partners, and we looked at our community and our organizations that were already here in our building. We have great service providers doing a lot of good work.”
The new mentoring program is one way to leverage those assets for the benefit of the community.
“To have the kind of economic impact we’re hoping to, we had to reach more than just companies located here at the center,” she said. “For those not based here, we give them access to the best assets of the building, from the huge conference-room space to the community itself.”
The mentoring program has helped a range of companies at various stages of growth, she added, from those who haven’t yet seen revenue to growing firms that mentors have encouraged to tap new markets.
“Others need a legal sounding board,” she noted. “It’s not legal advice, but it helps you prepare for when you talk to professionals, so you ask better questions, so you have thoughts about things you didn’t have thoughts about beforehand. In some cases, it helps you make decisions, but it’s always your decision.”

Space Program
Of course, while the Business Growth Center works to expand its programming, its tenant space continues to be a key asset. Current tenants range from small-business training and counseling entities (including the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network, the U.S. Small Business Administration, New England Business Associates, SCORE, and the National Assoc. of Minority Contractors) to well-established businesses (such as Square One and the Achievement Network) to incubator tenants, or small businesses at various stages of getting off the ground.
Dan Tuohey joined the incubator in 2010 to launch his company, psi 91, which develops and distributes products for sports apparel maker Under Armor. That manufacturer’s foray into inflatable balls for various sports has given psi 91 myriad opportunities to grow, and being in the Business Growth Center has helped the startup — now boasting eight employees — do just that.
“It’s been a great benefit,” Tuohey said. “Before we were a revenue-generating business, we were meeting in conference rooms here, planning our launch. Marla was really helpful to us at that stage. We were taking our meetings from Dunkin’ Donuts and Panera Bread to an actual office environment.”
In addition, he said, “Marla put together a great advisory staff for us to meet with quarterly, area business executives to bounce ideas off — and shoulders to cry on when needed.”
Since its inception, psi 91 has gradually needed additional space, so it expanded into an adjoining suite to double its square footage. “That went very smoothly for us. We can use the conference room, too. It’s just a great place for a company our size as we have our initial growth.”
With space still available, Michel and her team are actively recruiting businesses and organizations to locate at Building 101, promoting both the physical space and amenities (including a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network), but also the community of economic-development resources that has given the center its reputation. More details are available at www.businessgrowthcenter.org.
“The park makes the region’s fiber footprint possible, and our collection of tenants enhances regional workforce and economic development,” said Ricky Swaye, chairman of the STCC Assistance Corp. board, which owns the Technology Park. “The Business Growth Center is a natural extension of our mission.”

Bottom Line
The overarching goal, Michel reiterated, is to help businesses — both inside and outside the Business Growth Center — succeed and expand, thereby raising the economic health of the entire Pioneer Valley.
“It’s really those businesses under 10 people that don’t quite have the capacity,” she said. “What I always like to say is, we need more medium-sized businesses here in the Valley. When we believe businesses contribute to our economic prosperity, they do it by employing people and paying taxes, but also through their philanthropic activity. If we have all tiny companies, they don’t have the capacity to give back to the community.
“We want to grow the next MassMutual, the next Smith & Wesson — well, maybe not on that scale, but we need to support our businesses so they can grow,” she continued. “We need to support them in learning how to be the acquirers as opposed to being acquired.”
After all, she explained, the main goal isn’t more large companies that are headquartered elsewhere, but businesses with deep roots in the Valley that grow, become significant employers, and maintain their local operations.
“We have family businesses that have been here for generations and generations, and all of a sudden the people who own the company aren’t here, and they don’t care as much,” Michel concluded. “I think we really need to support our small businesses and help them grow. It’s a cultural thing — we need to teach them that growth doesn’t have to mean greed. Growth is good.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Health Care Sections
Traumatic Stress Recovery Center Helps People Live with the Past

Dr. Frank Gallo

Dr. Frank Gallo says trauma can paralyze people by causing them to constantly re-experience those negative thoughts and images, as if the event is happening again.

The pain of a traumatic experience, says Dr. Frank Gallo, often extends far beyond the event itself.
“People re-experience those events as if they’re happening again, with intrusive thoughts or images,” he told BusinessWest. “So they engage in avoidance behaviors — avoiding conversations about events or places that remind them of the traumatic event.
“After traumas, people can experience emotional numbness, anger outbursts, irritability, and frustration,” he added. “Usually these types of behaviors start to cause impairment across major areas of life; they can start to leak into the areas of family, friends, Internet relationships, recreation, health. People start to engage in behaviors just to lower the volume of that painful stuff. They stop living life in all these areas that are so important to them because they’re so busy just managing and coping and getting away from the pain.”
Those experiences are personal for Gallo, a former police officer who saw how workplace stress and trauma can affect people in high-risk jobs. To that end, he led a uniformed-services program at Brattleboro Retreat, a behavioral-health facility in Vermont. “It was a program dedicated exclusively to providing trauma and addiction recovery services for uniformed professionals — police, fire, corrections, military, paramedics, EMTs.”
Partly because he tired of the long commute — at the time, he was also teaching at Western New England University — Gallo decided to develop a similar program in the Pioneer Valley, so he established the Traumatic Stress Recovery Center in Springfield, a program of the Center for Human Development.
But this time, he’s not working only with emergency workers, but with anyone who has experienced some kind of trauma in their life, from physical or sexual abuse to a violent accident or loss of a loved one.
“In my years working at the Retreat, one thing we realized was that traumatic events don’t just affect uniformed service professionals, but the entire adult population. Most people, in their lifetime, will experience one or more traumatic events. So we’re working with the general adult population as well as the uniformed population, and then creating comprehensive after-care plans for people to step down and continue their recovery from traumas.”
Part of that process involved training therapists who specialize in trauma recovery. “Finding a good therapist match for the treatment we’re providing was difficult, so developing a center focused only on doing trauma work was needed,” Gallo said. “So I came here to CHD with the idea of developing a traumatic stress recovery center. The administrators here really liked the idea and wanted to offer this specialty service.”

Living with the Pain
The center opened its doors on Birnie Avenue on Sept. 30 with a number of programs available to both emergency personnel and the public, with more being developed down the road, Gallo said.
The intensive outpatient treatment program, for example, is available weekdays, four hours a day, and features group-focused treatment to help patients recover from trauma, as well as one-on-one work with a therapist to craft a specialized treatment plan.
“People can get stuck in their traumas. People may feel numb inside, or they no longer feel safe,” he said, saying people are familiar with the concept of being swept off one’s feet in love, but an emotional trauma can make them feel knocked off their feet. “We get people reconnected with their bodies. We get them grounded, so they feel like they’re not easily knocked off their feet by trauma-related thoughts and feelings.”
A concept called ACT, or acceptance and commitment therapy, is at the heart of all the center’s programs. It helps individuals learn to be present with their trauma and open up to their experience, but choose to focus on what’s important to them.
One 10-week therapy group focuses on the idea of mindfulness, or what Gallo calls “healthy living through being present.” Mindfulness, he said, is essentially paying attention to each experience and thought without judgment, being aware of thoughts and feelings without getting swept up in them, and being awake to the positive things life has to offer each moment.
“We get people engaging in life, with what matters to them, while they carry their traumas with them,” he explained. “These are stories they hold, and it’s part of their experience, but it’s not the whole of who they are. We get people living life beyond the trauma.”
After all, he said, the goal isn’t to deny the trauma, but simply to assimilate the memory and its impact into a life of healthy, mindful choices.
“What people see is that the volume of that stuff goes down all by itself,” he added. “We help people develop new relationships with those trauma-related thoughts, memories, and emotions, and that frees them up to engage in ways that matter to them, even as they carry their trauma with them.”
As a continuation of his work in Brattleboro, Gallo has also instituted a specialized treatment program for first responders, including police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, military personnel and veterans, EMTs and paramedics, and trauma nurses and doctors.
Beyond trauma recovery, though, the center has begun working with emergency personnel on preventing programs to develop resiliency skills so they quickly recover from traumatic events in their work environments.
“They’re at much higher risk, so we’re trying to do some skill building and prevention work,” he explained. “We want to give them a skill set they can take throughout their career. My goal, in terms of community outreach, is to create a continuity of healthcare, and to give them the essential skill sets to do their jobs well and be able to bounce back more easily from exposure to trauma.”
The Traumatic Stress Recovery Center is also working to institute a series of services promoting ‘whole-person care,’ including yoga, aikido, acupuncture, and biofeedback, to give clients additional tools to boost their emotional health.
“We recognize that there are other types of programs we can offer to help in the recovery process,” Gallo said. “These are adjunctive groups people can participate in so that, once they finish treatment, they can continue in that recovery process.”

Giving Back
Gallo was quick to note that the center shouldn’t be the only entity in the region providing trauma-related services. He’s working with other organizations to develop their own trauma-resiliency training programs, and has also launched a teaching program for Ph.D.-level psychology students.
“Pychology interns have an opportunity to do practicum experiences here — professional development in becoming psychologists,” he explained. “We also have a research-based program where, in all our programs, we collect data on treatment progress — how well people are doing, and how well they’re doing once they leave here.”
This information, he said, will help the center understand what some of the trends are and where patients are struggling the most — data that could be used to expand or change the center’s services in the future.
Gallo’s career experiences, both as a police officer and a psychologist, have lent him a keen understanding of how emotional trauma affects lives, and he said his latest chapter is a way to give back to the community.
“I know what it’s like. You know the saying — ‘been there, done that, got the T-shirt.’ I know what it’s like to be in those situations,” he told BusinessWest. “These experiences can be so overwhelming for people; traumatic events can have such an impact on people’s lives. After retiring from the police department, I wanted to have an opportunity to give back — not just for uniformed services and first responders, but for the general population, people struggling wherever they are. I asked, ‘how can I do something meaningful for them?’ That’s why I’m doing this.
“We want people to see us as a resource,” Gallo continued. “Nobody does what we’re doing; we’re really unique in this way. I’m really excited about that. I’m excited to have an opportunity to lead a program and have a great staff of clinicians who really understand what people are struggling with and are excited about the opportunity to give back.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Events

Lists of the previous seven 40 Under Forty classes

Class of 2013

Timothy Allen, South End Middle School
Meaghan Arena, Westfield State University
Adrian Bailey Dion, Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Jason Barroso, Tighe & Bond
Elizabeth Beaudry, NUVO Bank & Trust Co.
Melyssa Brown, Meyers Bothers Kalicka, P.C.
Kam Capoccia, Western New England University College of Pharmacy
Jeremy Casey, Westfield Bank
Tommy Cosenzi, TommyCar Auto Group
Erin Couture, Florence Savings Bank
Geoffrey Croteau, MassMutual Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services
William Davila, The Gandara Center
Ralph DiVito Jr., Yankee Candle Co.
Shaun Dwyer, PeoplesBank
Erin Fontaine Brunelle, Century 21 Hometown Associates
William Gagnon, Excel Dryer Inc.
Allison Garriss, Clinical & Support Options Inc.
Annamarie Golden, Baystate Health
L. Alexandra Hogan, Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C.
Samalid Hogan , City of Springfield
Xiaolei Hua, PeoplesBank
Mark Jardim, CMD Technologies
Danny Kates, Wealth New England and MassMutual Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services
Jeremy Leap, Country Bank
Danielle Letourneau-Therrien, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County
Isaac Mass, Law Office of Isaac J. Mass
Kelvin Molina, HAPHousing
Brenna Murphy McGee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts/City of Holyoke
Vanessa Pabon, WGBY-TV
John Pantera, Fitness Together Franchise Corp./Elements Therapeutic Massage
Justin Pelis, North Country Landscapes & Garden Center
Shonda Pettiford, Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst
Shannon Reichelt, S. Reichelt & Co., LLC.
N. Andrew Robb, Burgess, Schultz & Robb, P.C.
Stacy Robison, CommunicateHealth Inc.
Rachel Romano, Veritas Preparatory Charter School
Jennifer Root, Center for Human Development,Terri Thomas Girls Program
Jonathan Stolpinski, Westfield Electroplating Co.
Walter Tomala Jr., TNT General Contracting Inc.
Mark Zatyrka, American Homecare Federation Inc.

Class of 2012

Allison Biggs, Graphic Designer
Christopher Connelly, Foley/Connelly Financial Partners
Scott Conrad, Center for Human Development
Erin Corriveau, Reliable Temps Inc.
Carla Cosenzi, Tommy Car Corp.
Ben Craft, Baystate Medical Center
Jessica Crevier, AIDS Foundation of Western Mass.
Michele Crochetiere, YWCA of Western Mass.
Christopher DiStefano, DiStefano Financial Group
Keshawn Dodds, 4King Edward Enterprises Inc.
Ben Einstein, Brainstream Design
Michael Fenton, Shatz, Schwartz, and Fentin, P.C.
Tim Fisk, The Alliance to Develop Power
Elizabeth Ginter, Ellis Title Co.
Eric Hall, Westfield Police Department
Brendon Hutchins, St. Germain Investment Management
Kevin Jennings, Jennings Real Estate
Kristen Kellner, Kellner Consulting, LLC
Dr. Ronald Laprise, Laprise Chiropractic & Wellness
Danielle Lord, O’Connell Care at Home & Staffing Services
Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, Westfield State University
Trecia Marchand, Pioneer Valley Federal Credit Union
Ryan McCollum, RMC Strategies
Sheila Moreau, MindWing Concepts Inc.
Kelli Ann Nielsen, Springfield Academy Middle School
Neil Nordstrom, Pediatric Services of Springfield
Edward Nuñez, Freedom Credit Union
Adam Ondrick, Ondrick Natural Earth
Gladys Oyola, City of Springfield
Shardool Parmar, Pioneer Valley Hotel Group
Vincent Petrangelo, Raymond James
Terry Powe, Elias Brookings Museum Magnet School
Jennifer Reynolds, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Dan Rukakoski, Tighe & Bond
Dr. Nate Somers, Center for Human Development
Joshua Spooner, Western New England University College of Pharmacy
Jaclyn Stevenson, Winstanley Partners
Jason Tsitso, R & R Windows Contractors
Sen. James Welch, State Senator, First Hampden District
Karen Woods, Yankee Candle Co.

Class of 2011

Kelly Albrecht , left-click Corp.
Gianna Allentuck , Springfield Public Schools
Briony Angus , Tighe & Bond
Delania Barbee , ACCESS Springfield Promise Program
Monica Borgatti , Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity
Nancy Buffone , University of Massachusetts
Michelle Cayo , Country Bank
Nicole Contois , Springfield Housing Authority
Christin Deremian , Human Resources Unlimited/Pyramid Project
Peter Ellis , DIF Design
Scott Foster , Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP
Stephen Freyman , Longmeadow High School
Benjamin Garvey , Insurance Center of New England
Mathew Geffin , Webber and Grinnell
Nick Gelfand , NRG Real Estate Inc.
Mark Germain , Gomes, DaCruz and Tracy, P.C.
Elizabeth Gosselin , Commonwealth Packaging
Kathryn Grandonico , Lincoln Real Estate
Jaimye Hebert , Monson Savings Bank
Sean Hemingway , Center for Human Development
Kelly Koch , Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP
Jason Mark , Gravity Switch
Joan Maylor , Stop and Shop Supermarkets
Todd McGee , MassMutual Financial Group
Donald Mitchell , Western Mass. Development Collaborative
David Pakman , Vivid Edge Media Group/The David Pakman Show
Timothy Plante, City of Springfield/Springfield Public Schools
Maurice Powe , The Law Offices of Brooks and Powe
Jeremy Procon , Interstate Towing Inc.
Kristen Pueschel , PeoplesBank
Meghan Rothschild , SurvivingSkin.org
Jennifer Schimmel , Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity
Amy Scott , Wild Apple Design Group
Alexander Simon , LogicTrail, LLC
Lauren Tabin , PeoplesBank
Lisa Totz , ITT Power Solutions
Jeffrey Trant , Human Resources Unlimited
Timothy Van Epps , Sandri Companies
Michael Vedovelli , Mass. Office of Business Development
Beth Vettori , Rockridge Retirement Community

Class of 2010

Nancy Bazanchuk , Disability Resource Program, Center for Human Development
Raymond Berry , United Way of Pioneer Valley
David Beturne , Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County
Maegan Brooks , The Law Office of Maegan Brooks
Karen Buell , PeoplesBank
Shanna Burke , Nonotuck Resource Associates
Damon Cartelli , Fathers & Sons
Brady Chianciola , PeoplesBank
Natasha Clark , Springfield School Volunteers
Julie Cowan , TD Bank
Karen Curran , Thomson Financial Management Inc.
Adam Epstein , Dielectrics Inc.
Mary Fallon , Garvey Communication Associates
Daniel Finn , Pioneer Valley Local First
Owen Freeman-Daniels , Foley-Connelly Financial Partners and Foley Insurance Group
Lorenzo Gaines , ACCESS Springfield Promise Program
Thomas Galanis , Westfield State College
Anthony Gleason II , Roger Sitterly & Son Inc. and Gleason Landscaping
Allen Harris , Berkshire Money Management Inc.
Meghan Hibner , Westfield Bank
Amanda Huston , Junior Achievement of Western Mass. Inc.
Kimberly Klimczuk , Royal, LLP
James Krupienski , Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
David Kutcher , Confluent Forms, LLC
James Leahy , City of Holyoke and Alcon Laboratories
Kristin Leutz , Community Foundation of Western Mass.
Meghan Lynch , Six-Point Creative Works
Susan Mielnikowski , Cooley, Shrair, P.C.
Jill Monson , Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc. and Inspired Marketing & Promotions
Kevin Perrier , Five Star Building Corp.
Lindsay Porter , Big Y Foods
Brandon Reed , Fitness Together
Boris Revsin , CampusLIVE Inc.
Aaron Vega , Vega Yoga & Movement Arts
Ian Vukovich , Florence Savings Bank
Thomas Walsh , City of Springfield
Sean Wandrei , Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Byron White , Pazzo Ristorante
Chester Wojcik , Design Construction Group
Peter Zurlino , Atlantico Designs and Springfield Public Schools

Class of 2009

Marco Alvan, Team Link Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Gina Barry, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Maggie Bergin, The Art of Politics
Daniel Bessette, Get Set Marketing
Brandon Braxton, NewAlliance Bank
Dena Calvanese, Gray House
Edward Cassell, Park Square Realty
Karen Chadwell, Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, P.C.
Kate Ciriello, MassMutual Financial Group
Kamari Collins, Springfield Technical Community College
Mychal Connolly Sr., Stinky Cakes
Todd Demers, Family Wireless
Kate Glynn, A Child’s Garden and Impish
Andrew Jensen, Jx2 Productions, LLC
Kathy LeMay, Raising Change
Ned Leutz, Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency
Scott MacKenzie, MacKenzie Vault Inc.
Tony Maroulis, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
Seth Mias, Seth Mias Catering
Marjory Moore, Chicopee Public Schools
Corey Murphy, First American Insurance Agency Inc.
Mark Hugo Nasjleti, Go Voice for Choice
Joshua Pendrick, Royal Touch Painting
Christopher Prouty, Studio99Creative
Adam Quenneville, Adam Quenneville Roofing
Michael Ravosa, Morgan Stanley
Kristi Reale, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Amy Royal, Royal & Klimczuk, LLC
Michelle Sade, United Personnel
Scott Sadowsky, Williams Distributing Corp.
Gregory Schmidt, Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C.
Gretchen Siegchrist, Media Shower Productions
Erik Skar, MassMutual Financial Services
Paul Stallman, Alias Solutions
Renee Stolar, J. Stolar Insurance Co.
Tara Tetreault, Jackson and Connor
Chris Thompson, Springfield Falcons Hockey Team
Karl Tur, Ink & Toner Solutions, LLC
Michael Weber, Minuteman Press
Brenda Wishart, Aspen Square Management

Class of 2008

Michelle Abdow, Market Mentors
Matthew Andrews, Best Buddies of Western Mass.
Rob Anthony, WMAS
Shane Bajnoci, Cowls Land & Lumber Co.
Steve Bandarra, Atlas TC
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, Hampden County Physician Associates
Delcie Bean IV, Valley Computer Works (Paragus Strategic IT)
Brendan Ciecko, Ten Minute Media
Todd Cieplinski, Universal Mind Inc.
William Collins, Spoleto Restaurant Group
Michael Corduff, Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House
Amy Davis, New City Scenic & Display
Dave DelVecchio, Innovative Business Systems Inc.
Tyler Fairbank, EOS Ventures
Timothy Farrell, F.W. Farrell Insurance
Jeffrey Fialky, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Dennis Francis, America’s Box Choice
Kelly Galanis, Westfield State College
Jennifer Glockner, Winstanley Associates
Andrea Hill-Cataldo, Johnson & Hill Staffing Services
Steven Huntley, Valley Opportunity Council
Alexander Jarrett, Pedal People Cooperative
Kevin Jourdain, City of Holyoke
Craig Kaylor, Hampden Bank / Hampden Bancorp Inc.
Stanley Kowalski III, FloDesign Inc.
Marco Liquori, NetLogix Inc.
Azell Murphy Cavaan, City of Springfield
Michael Presnal, The Federal Restaurant
Melissa Shea, Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn
Sheryl Shinn, Hampden Bank
Ja’Net Smith, Center for Human Development
Diana Sorrentini-Velez, Cooley, Shrair, P.C.
Meghan Sullivan, Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn
Michael Sweet, Doherty Wallace Pillsbury & Murphy
Heidi Thomson, Girls Inc.
Hector Toledo, Hampden Bank
William Trudeau Jr., Insurance Center of New England
David Vermette, MassMutual Financial Services
Lauren Way, Bay Path College
Paul Yacovone, Brain Powered Concepts

Class of 2007

William Bither III, Atalasoft
Kimberlynn Cartelli, Fathers & Sons
Amy Caruso, MassMutual Financial Group
Denise Cogman, Springfield School Volunteers
Richard Corder, Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Katherine Pacella Costello, Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C.
A. Rima Dael, Berkshire Bank Foundation of Pioneer Valley
Nino Del Padre, Del Padre Visual Productions
Antonio Dos Santos, Robinson Donovan, P.C.
Jake Giessman, Academy Hill School
Jillian Gould, Eastfield Mall
Michael Gove, Lyon & Fitzpatrick, LLP
Dena Hall, United Bank
James Harrington, Our Town Variety & Liquors
Christy Hedgpeth, Spalding Sports
Francis Hoey III, Tighe & Bond
Amy Jamrog, The Jamrog Group, Northwestern Mutual
Cinda Jones, Cowls Land & Lumber Co.
Paul Kozub, V-1 Vodka
Bob Lowry, Bueno y Sano
G.E. Patrick Leary, Moriarty & Primack, P.C.
Todd Lever, Noble Hospital
Audrey Manring, The Women’s Times
Daniel Morrill, Wolf & Company
Joseph Pacella, Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C.
Arlene Rodriquez, Springfield Technical Community College
Craig Swimm, WMAS 94.7
Sarah Tanner, United Way of Pioneer Valley
Mark Tanner, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Michelle Theroux, Child & Family Services of Pioneer Valley Inc.
Tad Tokarz, Western MA Sports Journal
Dan Touhey, Spalding Sports
Sarah Leete Tsitso, Fred Astaire Dance
Michael Vann, The Vann Group
Ryan Voiland, Red Fire Farm
Erica Walch, Speak Easy Accent Modification
Catherine West, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Michael Zaskey, Zasco Productions, LLC
Edward Zemba, Robert Charles Photography
Carin Zinter, The Princeton Review

Briefcase Departments

Baystate Health to Acquire Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers
PALMER — The boards of trustees of UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC), Baystate Health, and Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers have authorized the organizations to sign a letter of intent to transfer of ownership of Palmer-based Wing Memorial to Baystate Health. The potential transaction now enters a period of review and due diligence within the organizations and in partnership with the relevant regulatory and oversight bodies. This work is expected to occur over the next several months. In the meantime, it will be operations as usual at the two organizations and at Wing Memorial. This letter of intent builds on a long-existing relationship between the two not-for-profit health systems and is also a result of the closer collaboration that UMMHC and Baystate Health announced in September, when the two systems agreed to explore a number of possible opportunities with the intent of improving quality, access, and affordability of care. Thus far, those discussions have advanced in the areas of sharing best practices in quality and population health management and jointly applying for grant funding for public-health research. The two organizations continue discussing other opportunities, including shared training methodologies and better coordination of specialty services.
“Wing Memorial Hospital has a strong, historical place in the community it serves. Our dedicated staff and employees live and work in this community, and the high-quality care they provide has earned the trust and support of our neighbors and patients,” said Dr. Charles Cavagnaro III, president and CEO of Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers. “For us to potentially be part of a vibrant, local and regional health system closer to home that allows for improved access to and recruitment of specialists, access to capital investment, an accountable-care organization, and further supports for our patients and their families is a win-win. This continuum of care for our patients, which starts at our front door, is most importantly at the center of these discussions.” Added Mark Tolosky, president and CEO of Baystate Health,
“while we recognize that we are only at the beginning of a long and complex process, we are very excited at the prospect of welcoming Wing Memorial, its patients, and employees to the Baystate Health family. We at Baystate Health have a great deal in common with Wing Memorial: excellence in clinical care, common missions to improve health, well-established histories of caring for patients and our communities, and a strong shared geography.” Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMMHC, called Wing a valued member of the UMass Memorial system since 1999. “This is a difficult decision, but it makes the most sense for the patients — who are at the heart of our decision — to become part of a regional academic healthcare system that will keep patients home, healthy, and free from needing to travel outside the area for advanced care. A potential transfer of ownership allows both of our healthcare systems to provide high-quality, safe, and affordable care, close to home.”
Neither UMass Memorial Health Care nor Baystate Health expect to change their academic affiliations as a result of the potential transfer of ownership, nor will the letter of intent limit the ability of either party to pursue other strategic opportunities.

Holyoke to Fund Facade Improvement
HOLYOKE — The City of Holyoke has awarded the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation $50,000 through the city’s Community Development Block Grant Program to reinstate the Facade Improvement Program (FIP), which was run by the chamber in past years. “As downtown Holyoke moves towards its revitalization, it is important to appropriately allocate funding for projects that send the message to business owners that our city is as invested in the success of their business as they are,” Mayor Alex Morse said. “This is an important program that I am excited to see return, and I am confident that these improvements will not only benefit business owners, but also the downtown community as a whole.” The funds are in the form of a grant that must be matched in equal amounts of the request up to $25,000. The Facade Improvement Program was designed to strengthen and enhance Holyoke’s business districts by restoring and improving existing facades. The FIP is administered by the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation with funding from the City of Holyoke Office for Community Development. It offers rebates to eligible property owners for up to 50% of the façade-improvement project cost. The minimum rebate is $2,500 for at least a $5,000 project, and the maximum rebate is $25,000 for at least a $50,000 project. “We are very excited to be able to offer this program to our downtown businesses in an effort to help them improve their facades and hopefully their business as well, said Kathleen Anderson, president of the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation. “We appreciate the award from the city in an effort to support downtown business. We have such beautiful architecture downtown, and this program will help to restore these buildings so that they can last for another 100 years.” Applicants should apply through the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation. Potential applicants may contact Kathleen Anderson at (413) 534-3376 to determine FIP eligibility and to request an application package. The funds are used strictly to renovate the front facade of a building.

State Awards $79 Million to Infrastructure Projects
BOSTON — In continuation of the Patrick administration’s efforts to stimulate job creation and support long-term economic growth, state Housing and Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki announced more than $79 million for 33 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants to support development throughout the Commonwealth. “The MassWorks program is a key tool in  our growth strategy of investing in education, innovation, and infrastructure to create jobs and economic development,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. “By partnering with municipalities, these MassWorks projects will strengthen communities for generations to come.” Added Bialecki, “we remain committed to working with local communities to help identify opportunities to support growth and spur regional development. I look forward to our ongoing partnerships with municipalities across the state and private industry leaders to explore additional ways to promote continued growth in every region of the Commonwealth.” Through these grants, the state will partner with cities and towns to target investments in infrastructure such as roadways, streetscapes, water, and sewer to facilitate and support new and sustained housing and economic growth throughout Massachusetts. The 2013 application round generated 108 applications for more than $263 million in infrastructure requests. Of the 33 approved projects, 11 are in the four counties of Western Mass., including: Conway, downtown parking and safety improvements ($997,521); Deerfield, River Road roadway reconstruction ($952,463); Easthampton, Pleasant Street infrastructure improvements, phase 2 ($1.5 million); Hadley, Shattuck Road improvements ($61,815); Mount Washington, BashBish Falls Road project ($1 million); Pittsfield, streetscape improvements, phase 3 ($2 million); Savoy, Black Brook Road drainage improvements and road reconstruction ($997,112); Tolland, Route 57 improvements ($990,000); Wales, Union Road roadway and drainage improvements ($881,923); Warwick, Winchester Road paving ($495,000); and West Stockbridge, downtown improvements ($1 million). Administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (HED), the MassWorks Infrastructure Program provides a one-stop shop for municipalities seeking funding to support housing, economic development, and job creation with a particular emphasis on assisting communities to advance multi-family housing development. Each year, the program allocates 10% of its funds to assist municipalities with populations of 7,000 or fewer complete roadway safety-improvement projects. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/eohed/massworks.

State’s Unemployment Surpasses National Rate
The Massachusetts unemployment rate in November surpassed the national rate for the first time in more than five years, suggesting weaker conditions in the Bay State even as the national economic recovery accelerates. The state unemployment rate was 6.4% in April, compared to 7.5% nationally. In November, the state rate was 7.1%, compared to 7% nationally, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. It was the first time since May 2007 that state unemployment exceeded the national rate. Economists said automatic federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, have taken a disproportionate toll on the state economy because of the high concentration of research institutions and defense contractors here that rely on federal grants and other funding. A recent report by the UMass Donahue Institute estimated that sequestration has cost the state about 14,000 real or expected jobs in roughly the past year. It also estimated that the cutbacks reduced the state’s economic output by $1.4 billion, resulting in a $63 million decrease in state tax revenues.

Cover Story
LED Technology Could Be a Game Changer for Zasco Productions

COVER1213cMike Zaskey says LED (light-emitting diode) technology has been on his radar screen for more than a decade now.
He understood its vast potential to open new doors for the company he founded, Chicopee-based Zasco Productions, by enabling it to contend for projects — and there are many of them — that could benefit from the technology’s ability to produce a sharp, bright, high-quality video display image, even in direct sunlight, a considerable improvement over projection technology.
But he also understood its high price tag and how difficult — especially years ago, when this technology was considerably more expensive — it would likely be to recover it. “Virtually unattainable” was the phrase he used to describe the product for most of that decade.
Indeed, he and Barry Gadbois, manager of Operations and Business Development and also video director for the company, would spend countless hours at a whiteboard in Gadbois’ office crunching numbers and trying to get them to work.
Finally, last spring, they were confident that they could.
So Zasco proceeded with the purchase of Oracle LED Systems’ Black Widow HD9 indoor/outdoor display modules — 80 2-by-2-foot tiles, to be exact, which can be joined to create two 10-by-16-foot screens or a host of other configurations. The company’s marketing piece to prospective customers calls it “New England’s premier visual display system,” and then goes into much more detail, with bullet points such as these:
• “True 9mm resolution, 3-in-1 SMD LEDs for superb clarity”;
• “7,000 nits of brightness so that every image leaps off the screen, even in direct sunlight”;
• “Weather-resistant to shine through the toughest conditions!”;
• “Ability to create curved surfaces, plus an innovative frameless flex kit, and other features, make virtually any scenic application possible”; and
• “A network of nationwide cross-rental partners means that we can build nearly any size or number of displays!”

Rays of Hope event

Barry Gadbois says the LED display used at the Rays of Hope event last fall is a good example of how the technology allows groups to make “eye contact” with large audiences.

Slicing through all those numbers, letters, exclamation points, and technical terms (a nit, by the way, is a unit of visible light intensity, and ‘9mm resolution’ means the dots, or pixels, are just 9 millimeters apart, creating very high resolution), Zaskey said this roughly $300,000 acquisition has the vast potential to be a “game changer” for Zasco,  which started nearly 25 years ago as a wedding-video operation and has morphed into a multi-faceted event-production company that has handled everything from college commencement ceremonies to annual meetings for major corporations, to BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty gala.
“This technology puts us on a different playing field,” he said, noting that the technology was used for concerts at this year’s Big E, the 20th annual Rays of Hope walk in October, and other events. “It’s a door opener for us.”
Gadbois agreed.
“There’s a certain level of client that requires service on a large scale that was inaccessible to us because we couldn’t meet the largest part of their needs, which was display technology like this,” he explained. “Now, we can go to clients who were inaccessible before and tell them, ‘not only can we cover your display needs, we can do it with the best stuff on the market, and we’re also a turn-key provider for all the other services you need.
“It’s a game changer for us,” he went on, “because it gives us a chance to introduce ourselves, and our core services, to customers who may have passed us over before because we didn’t have these displays.”
Zasco said the Black Widow system also gives Zasco an opportunity to fill out its calendar and provide a more level revenue stream, an important consideration for any business. He noted that the company is most busy in the late spring and early summer, with college commencements, corporate meetings, and other events, “but in July, we’re often sitting here waiting for the phone to ring. This will hopefully make it ring more often.”
For this issue, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at the Zasco company, its latest investment in technology, and how it has taken Zaskey and Gadbois from their work at that whiteboard to a new assignment — aggressively rewriting the business plan to reflect new opportunities.

Nit Withstanding
As he talked about the Black Widow, and LED technology in general, Zaskey drew a number of comparisons to HD televisions.
They’ve been around for years, he noted, and the technology has greatly improved while the price has come down considerably. In other words, the first person on the block to get one paid considerably more than someone who waited a few years. Meanwhile, that first one in has a set that today isn’t exactly obsolete, but it’s not as good as the newer editions.
“Like everything else that’s technology-driven, the quality increases and the price comes way down,” he explained, referring to LED systems. “And that gives us a competitive advantage, especially over some companies in the eastern part of the state that invested in this technology in the late ’90s and are possibly still trying to recoup those very large investments. It’s older technology, and they have to charge a premium for it.”
This phenomenon essentially explains what all the work with that whiteboard was all about, said Zaskey, adding that, while an investment in this kind of technology is always somewhat of a gamble, especially for a company of this small size, he and Gadbois were researching and waiting for something that they could consider a relatively safe bet.
And they believe they’ve made one, with the purchase of a system that is versatile, affordable (or at least much more so than what was on the market years ago), and won’t be obsolete before the end of next year, or this decade.
“We bought a product that’s very mature — this is as high a resolution value as we’ve seen in an outdoor display, and it’s probably as high a resolution value as anyone is going to bother to make,” said Gadbois. “The expense of developing something better than we have is probably prohibitive.”
The LED technology ushers in a new chapter in the life of an intriguing local company, one that got its start when Zaskey was in middle school learning how to handle a video camera.
What started as a hobby — videotaping weddings for family and friends of the family — eventually became a business, thanks to startup financing from his father. By the time he graduated from high school, Zaskey was starting to diversify into corporate work, such as training videos.
Eventually, companies that hired him started asking about how to display those videos at events. He saw an opportunity and invested in projection, lighting, and audio equipment, and essentially changed the course of what by then had become Zasco Productions.
Over the past 20 years, growth has been consistent, averaging about 10% annually, he said, and while most of the company’s work is in this region, it has been involved in projects in Las Vegas and other major cities, mostly east of the Mississippi.
Fast-forwarding to when LED technology came onto his radar screen, Zaskey said that, business-wise, the need for such an investment was growing because large-screen displays were now commonplace at corporate events and gatherings such as commencements, and projection technology has its limitations.
“The challenge has always been displaying video outside, in direct sunlight, or where ambient lighting conditions cannot be controlled. LED technology makes that possible. Projection outside is simply not an option — there’s just no projection that can compete with sunlight.”

Barry Gadbois

Barry Gadbois says consumers are becoming more demanding when it comes to video presentations, and LED technology is now an expectation.

Meanwhile, a discerning public, now quite used to HD television and 150-foot-wide LED scoreboards in sports stadiums, has come to increasingly expect — and, more importantly, demand — such high-quality visual displays.
“People have become accustomed to a very high level of technology, especially when it comes to video and audio,” Gadbois explained. “No one would now consider it acceptable to go to a major-league baseball game and see a scoreboard with little white lights. We’ve come to expect a very immersive, very technically advanced experience, and the natural extension of this is that it’s trickling down; it’s not just major-league ballparks or the biggest concerts or the biggest events. People have high expectations for their experience.”
As an example, he pointed to the Big E, which had essentially gotten by with projection technology at its concerts for years, but had, with its vendor, KMJ Video (a Zasco client), reached the conclusion that the target audience wanted, and deserved, something better.
“They [KMJ] were ready to make a move and enhance the experience for their customer,” said Zaskey, “and the timing was perfect, because we had just acquired this new technology.”
That aforementioned trickle-down effect has now reached college commencements — “parents want to see their son or daughter on a big screen in a sharp, high-definition image,” said Gadbois — as well as corporate gatherings and many other kinds of events, and this phenomenon was one of the factors that led the company to invest in LED technology, and to believe it will prove to be a very fruitful investment.

Shedding Light on the Subject

Now that Zasco has made this leap forward, said Zaskey and Gadbois, the obvious challenge becames making the most of the opportunity it presents.
“Equipment like this has to be in use,” said Zaskey, underscoring the assignment that faces any business that makes a large capital investment aimed at driving new business.
Elaborating, he said the work now facing the company involves everything from aggressive marketing to educating potential customers about how LED technology can add value, as well as quality, to their events, to expanding their horizons geographically.
And when it comes to the marketing and educational components of this assignment, there are inherent challenges, said Gadbois, adding that people need to see and experience the technology to understand what it can do.
“This isn’t a product you can put in your briefcase, bring to a client, and show it to them on their conference table,” he explained. “You can’t always build a 16-foot-wide wall for people. But if they can see it … there hasn’t been anyone, including us, who hasn’t looked at this for the first time and said, ‘wow, this really looks incredible.’
“Once we realized that we had a product that showed itself so well,” he went on, “we quickly understood that we had to get this in front of people.”
Zasco had a huge display of the LED technology at the Western Mass. Business Expo in November, and has marketed the technology in many other ways as well, said Zaskey, adding that perhaps the most effective promotional vehicles have been the recent events that have put the Black Widow system to the test.
Most of the 20,000-plus participants in this year’s Rays of Hope event were able to see for themselves, said Gadbois, adding that the LED technology (one 10-by-16 screen positioned near the starting line) gave organizers an opportunity to connect with the walkers and runners more effectively than in years past, when they had only a microphone with which to communicate.
“We changed their audience experience,” he explained. “Previously, they had a stage and sound. They have a crowd of thousands of people stretched over a large area. This technology enabled people to see and also hear, which is important.
“If you’re attending this event and not visually engaged — maybe you hear parts of what’s going on, but you’re talking to people around you because you’re distracted — that’s a completely different audience experience than if you can literally make eye contact and create a little bit of a relationship with a speaking subject typically talking about something that’s powerful and designed to motivate the audience,” Gadbois went on. “When you can make eye contact with 20,000 people, that’s a pretty neat experience, and we try to help our clients understand and leverage the value of that kind of power.”
And value can come in ways beyond this eye contact, said Zaskey, adding that nonprofits can use an LED display to provide creative and highly visible exposure to sponsors, a reality that could enable the technology to essentially pay for itself in such instances.
Looking ahead, he said the company’s investment should provide opportunities on a number of levels. As he said earlier, it will open doors that had previously been closed, and, once those doors are open, enable Zasco to present its full roster of services to those clients.
It could also make the company a bigger player in the Boston area and other large municipal markets where competitors may have older LED technology and, very possibly, a higher price tag for their services.
Meanwhile, because of the growing demand for high-quality video displays, Zasco could become a vendor, or partner, with competitors who don’t have LED technology but need it to satisfy increasingly demanding clients. Zaskey called such opportunities “good consolation prizes,” meaning Zasco didn’t get the contract but did get a chance to rent out its equipment, and said these could become a new and possibly lucrative revenue source.
“If you’re not going to win the whole pie, it’s always nice to have a piece of the pie,” he explained. “And this technology will give us many more opportunities to do that.”

A Bright Future
Zaskey told BusinessWest that the term LED has gone well beyond buzzword status in recent years. It has become, in many respects, a standard and an expectation for an increasingly demanding public.
“Anything LED sparks an emotion in people,” he said. “You have LED uplighting, LED lighting in your home that’s more energy-efficient. So when people say they have LED visual displays at their event, that elicits a response from their audience and gets people excited.”
The hope at Zasco is that this emotion grows stronger in the years to come. If it does, then this investment will certainly bring a return for a company that is now, more than ever, focused on the big picture.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Law Sections
Social Media Poses a Legal Minefield for Employers

SocialMediaLegalityDPartThe missive on Facebook reads like a typical workplace rant.
“It’s pretty obvious that my manager is as immature as a person can be, and she proved that this evening even more so. I am unbelievably stressed out, and I can’t believe NO ONE is doing anything about it! The way she treats us is NOT okay, but no one cares, because every time we try to solve conflicts, NOTHING GETS DONE!”
The poster worked in a San Francisco clothing store, and this message, and comments like it from fellow employees, led to numerous firings once the employer found out about them. But one of the booted employees filed an unfair-labor-practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — which sided with the workers.
Why? Well, the store was located in a rough neighborhood of the city, and stayed open an hour later than other stores in the vicinity. The employees had complained to their manager about being harassed by “street people” upon leaving late at night. When the manager refused to change the store hours, the workers took to social media.

John Gannon

John Gannon says the National Labor Relations Board has recently taken a keener interest in making sure companies’ social-media policies aren’t too vague to be enforced.

“They went online and complained about their supervisor,” said attorney John Gannon, an associate with Skoler, Abbott & Presser in Springfield. “The NLRB said they were complaining about working conditions and were concerned about safety, and as a group, they were trying to get their supervisor or store manager to close that store earlier.”
And that, the board maintains, falls under the umbrella of ‘protected, concerted activity’ which employees are allowed by law to undertake. The fact that the complaints were posted very publicly and could have embarrassed the employer did not limit their rights.
“One issue that arises with respect to social media is, can we fire somebody for comments they have made online that may not be favorable to us, or that we perceive as disparaging?” said attorney Amy Royal, owner of Royal LLP in Northampton. “Before they take such adverse action, companies need to take a careful look at whether the comments are expressing an individual gripe or if the employee is trying to induce other employees to undertake group action that could potentially be seen as concerted activity.”
The difference is crucial, and gets to the heart of what employers need to know about their workers’ private use of social media.
“If it’s collective, and more than one employee is complaining online, is the complaint about the terms and conditions of employment?” Royal asked. “For employers, the frustrating piece is that the NLRB has a broad view of what constitutes terms and conditions of employment.
“If I read, ‘it’s pretty obvious that my manager is as immature as a person can be,’ human nature being what it is, if I’m the manager, I’m not going to happy with that, and I might want to take action because I feel slighted or slandered. But in this case, other employees joined in and made comments, and the NLRB said this is protected.”
That’s different, she said, than someone lashing out randomly at their employer with no such context, and no support from fellow workers.
“The number-one issue when talking about social media in the employment-law context is whether or not an employee’s activity, whether on Facebook or elsewhere, is protected by the National Labor Relations Act,” said Gannon, adding that the NLRB periodically issues ‘advice memorandums,’ examining about a dozen recent cases and discussing whether the employers’ conduct violated the act, or whether their policy on social media is too broad to be enforced.
“Through all those advice memorandums, they distinguish between someone’s individual gripes and somebody complaining about workplace conditions,” he said. “That’s the bright line — and it’s actually more of a gray line. Is somebody actually talking about improving workplace conditions, or is the employee just complaining about his supervisor? In a recent case, an employee said, ‘hey, my supervisor needs to back the f— off. If he wants to fire me, go ahead, make my day.’ The board said that’s your classic individual gripe; they weren’t talking about other employees or referencing any working conditions.”
Kate O’Brien, an attorney with Springfield-based Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn, noted that the NLRB has been busy assessing cases decided by administrative-law judges. “For the most part,” she said, “they’ve affirmed the approach of evaluating them for the potential chilling of employees’ right to engage in protected, concerted activity.”

Group Think

Amy Royal

Amy Royal says screening job applicants on social media can be helpful — but poses certain legal risks.

None of this, however, applies to employee use of social media on work time. Companies have long been well within their rights to police what their staffers do while on the clock, and routinely bar the recreational use of the Internet during work hours.
“Companies can and should have a policy that prohibits employees from using social media at work, and it should also extend to the use of their own devices,” Royal said. “In the real world, it becomes difficult for companies to police that, or they may not want to have a total prohibition, but they need to know that, if they allow some level of use of social media, employees can use it for union-organizing purposes.”
But when it comes to off-the-clock activity, she said, many employers — especially those with non-unionized workforces — still aren’t aware of workers’ rights when it comes to freedom of expression, laid out in Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
“Section 7 applies to both union and non-union workforces and gives employees the right to come together and complain about the terms and conditions of their workplace,” Royal noted. “That particular section is implicated when we’re talking about social-media issues in the workplace.”
However, Gannon noted, although the NLRB remains engaged in complaints about unjust firing, it has also taken proactive steps to examine various companies’ social-media policies and determine which ones too broad to withstand scrutiny.
“They’ve reviewed a lot of policies dating back to 2010 and 2011 that prohibit certain kinds of behavior — prohibitions against inappropriate comments or unprofessional comments or misleading comments on Facebook — and they’ve come out and said that’s overly broad and not specific enough, that it could chill somebody’s Section 7 rights, so they’d be afraid to speak out.”
One recent case involved Giant Foods, which had a policy prohibiting employees from discussing confidential, non-public information on social media.
In an advice memorandum issued in July, “the board came out and said that’s overbroad, that they need to be more specific,” Gannon explained. “A lot of people were surprised by that; they think an employer has a right to protect its confidential information. But the board’s point was that, yes, you need to protect your confidential information, but make sure employees understand what that confidential information is.”
In another case — an actual decision, not just a memorandum — the board determined that Costco’s policy, barring employees from posting things that might damage the company’s reputation, was also overbroad.
In yet another case, Royal noted, an employer’s policy said workers must be courteous, polite, and friendly to customers and fellow employees, and not use language that injures the image or reputation of the company. “That sounds like a policy any company would want to implement, but the NLRB said that policy is problematic because it’s too vague,” she said. “They want specifics in these policies.”
So how should employers craft a policy that stands up to the law? “One thing I recommend is to link it to other policies,” Gannon said. “For example, I’ll recommend that the employer, in their social-media policy, reference the anti-harassment policy and make it clear that employees have to follow the anti-harassment policy in social media, and can’t post things that are harassing in nature.”
The same applies to confidentiality policies, he added. “You have to treat it as if it happened in the workplace.”

Searching for Clues
Still, O’Brien said, while overbroad policies are certainly a consideration, “I think a more prevalent consideration is the discipline or termination of employees for their comments and activity in social media.”
And it’s not just current workers employers must be concerned with. Job applicants pose their own kind of minefield. Specifically, employers who use sites like Facebook to gauge an applicant’s character often discover information about his or her beliefs or race or sexual preference — issues that shouldn’t be used in hiring decisions, but sometimes are.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Royal said. “You want to investigate an unknown commodity before you invest in them. We know that bringing someone into a workplace is a huge investment, and social media is a great way to find out information about a person’s character, their reputation, their likes, and their interests. But on the flip side, you may be given information that you wouldn’t otherwise have in the application process, that could then be used as ammunition against you.”
Importantly, even if a decision not to hire is based solely on job qualifications and experience, simply knowing certain things about an applicant can open an employer up to the perception of discrimination — and lawsuits can follow.
“That’s not to say you shouldn’t use social media as part of background check into an applicant — I think you should — but you need to know the parameters,” she said. “And if you use social media inconsistently, you open yourself up to attack as well. If you’re going to use it, then use it for all applicants when they reach a certain point in the application process.”
Gannon said much of the strategy depends on what sites employers are checking.
“Generally speaking, I think there’s a lot of information out there that would be valuable to employers in their recruiting efforts. LinkedIn is a very good place employers can use to double check what their employees say in an interview; you can find out if there’s some conflict there.”
However, he added, “some other sites present problems stemming from learning too much information. Even visiting someone’s Facebook page and learning information that isn’t part of an application — information about an applicant’s religion, disability, genetic information — all of that can lead to an unlawful-hiring lawsuit, claiming the information learned through social media was the reason the individual wasn’t hired.”
Gannon agreed that hiring managers need to be consistent about what searches they perform, and then document those efforts.
“But the most important thing an employer can do is have a gatekeeper perform the search, an individual who is not connected to the hiring decision itself,” he said. “If they find any negative characteristics, they report back to the hiring manager.”
That way, he continued, “if someone brings a failure-to-hire lawsuit, you can defend the hiring — management didn’t know you were Muslim, for instance. That’s really the key in recruitment.”

Media Messages
Royal stressed the importance of keeping tabs on the NLRB’s evolving thought process on social media as it relates to Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act and other factors.
“A lot of employers do have social-media policies, and now that we’re coming up on a new year, it’s a good time to revisit those policies to make sure they’re still compliant with NLRB decisions that have come in over the past year,” she said.
For example, “a semi-pro-employee decision came out of the NLRB that basically said that, if an employee is publicly critical in a way that the comments are maliciously untrue, then you can fire them — but employers need to be able to demonstrate that the comments were made with knowledge of their falsity or with a reckless disregard for their truth. That’s a high threshold to meet under those circumstances.
“Because this area is still emerging,” she added, “employees need to connect with their counsel to sort through these issues before they take action. You can’t unring that bell.”
Another potential shift in current thought involves the ‘like’ button on Facebook — specifically, whether simply liking a comment on Facebook is enough to be considered concerted activity, Gannon noted. “That’s something the NLRB is currently looking at. It’s kind of an interesting issue.”
O’Brien agreed that the picture is far from settled. “The board has provided a little more guidance on what’s acceptable or not acceptable. But it’s still constantly evolving, and an area employers need to stay on top of.”
Part of the reason social media has become such a scrutinized issue is the sheer volume of personal information being revealed on public websites.
“It’s a different world, but an interesting world, and employers really have to rely on outside counsel to keep them up to speed on what’s changing,” Gannon said.
“A policy that was OK in 2010 might not pass muster in 2013 based on advice memorandums that have come out from the board,” he continued. “Those policies might need to be revised. Employers need to be aware that this is an area of the law that’s constantly in flux. I’d be reviewing those policies in some way, shape, or form at least on an annual basis.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Agenda Departments

Nonprofit Marketing Roundtable
Jan. 28: Struggling to gain visibility with your target audience? Are your marketing materials producing tangible results? Are your best messaging ideas living only in your head? The Nonprofit Marketing Roundtable 2014 Workshop will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Three women business owners — Janice Beetle, Ruth Griggs, and Maureen Scanlon of the Creative, a marketing and communications collaboration in Northampton — will lead a nonprofit Flash marketing workshop. They will meet with business owners, listen to your marketing and communications concerns, and help you brainstorm practical, professional solutions on the spot. Learn more about how to strategize, advertise, brand, and promote your business; reach the media; and maximize your message in person, in print, and online. The workshop, presented by the Creative Marketing Group, is free, but pre-registration is required, and space is limited. To register, contact Jasmin Tomic at (413) 584-1900 or [email protected].

Difference Makers 2014
March 20: The sixth annual Difference Makers award program, staged by BusinessWest, will be held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. Details on the event will be published in upcoming issues of the magazine. Difference Makers is a program, launched in 2009, that recognizes groups and individuals that are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region. The editors and publishers of BusinessWest are currently reviewing nominations for the class of 2014. The winners will be announced in the magazine’s Feb. 10 issue. For more information, call (413) 781-8600.

Features
Valley Gives Organizers Look to Continue Building on Their Success

‘Doug the Dakin Dog’

‘Doug the Dakin Dog’ traveled throughout Western Mass. on Valley Gives Day to promote the second annual e-philanthropy initiative.

On Dec. 11, Flying Object was a small, relatively obscure nonprofit agency based in Hadley that was quietly carrying out its mission to provide opportunities and educational programs to writers, artists, musicians, and publishers, locally and nationally.
On Dec. 13 … well, it was still carrying out that mission, but it was far less obscure. And it had an additional $33,230 with which to carry out its work.
And that’s because of what happened on Dec. 12, or Valley Gives Day, as that date is now known in this region. Indeed, those involved with Flying Object, including Executive Director Guy Petit, its only paid employee, “had their act together” on Valley Gives Day, said Kristen Leutz, vice president of Philanthropic Services for the Community Foundation of Western Mass., the managing organization for the program.
By that, she meant that the agency was organized, worked hard to get its name and mission out to the public, and took full advantage of the many events and initiatives scheduled that day — from so-called ‘golden tickets’ to ‘power hours’ — as well as the online giving, or e-philanthropy, concept that is so appealing to the many young people involved with Flying Object. And when the 24-hour giving period had ended, the nonprofit, launched just three years ago, had taken second place in the ‘most money raised’ category for organizations with budgets under $300,000, and thus earned another $7,500 in the process.
“The day after, the guys at Flying Object were here [at the Community Foundation] for a meeting, and I said, ‘well, everyone knows who you are today,’” said Leutz, adding that there were many nonprofit agencies that similarly had their act together on Valley Gives Day, enabling the program to meet the ambitious goal of raising $2 million ($2,012,089 is the official number), doubling the total from the inaugural year in 2012, and creating a great deal of momentum for 2014.
“Online giving is growing at a very rapid pace, and social media is a crucial tool for nonprofits to engage supporters and educate the community about their mission,” said Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, noting that the number of donors nearly doubled from the first year, soaring from 6,600 to more than 11,000. “Our message this year was ‘bring a friend,’ and people did, and it works as a social-media-driven campaign.”
While still basking in the light of their successful event, Valley Gives organizers have essentially moved onto the next edition of the program. The team is already preparing surveys and poring over the data from this year’s efforts, while also watching — and learning from — similar iniatives around the country.
“We’re not the only city or region doing this,” said Leutz, “and we’re going to watch others in Miami, Seattle, Minnesota, and their Give Days to see what best practices we can adopt.”
For this issue, BusinessWest takes a look back at Dec. 12, but then turns the focus to the future and where this already hugely successful event can go from here.

In Real Time
When a volunteer for the inaugural Valley Gives Day approached Mark Teed in downtown Springfield’s Tower Square last year, he gladly gave $100 to his favorite nonprofit. Teed, senior vice president of investments at Raymond James in Springfield, didn’t even know about the program then, but this year he was prepared, if not totally up to speed on some of the recent changes that encouraged online interactivity and presented new opportunities for the 350 participating nonprofits.
Splitting $100 among 10 different agencies in Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties this year, Teed’s donations just happened to come during the day’s third power hour, between 4 and 5 p.m., and one was chosen at random to be a ‘golden ticket,’ allowing that nonprofit to receive an extra $1,200.
“It was just serendipity, and I didn’t know about it until afterward, but next year I will certainly be aware of it,” Teed said, laughing. “In our world of the stock exchange, we talk about return on investment. That was certainly a good ROI for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.”
Golden tickets and power hours are fast becoming part of the local lexicon, especially within the nonprofit community, as Valley Gives continues to broaden its influence.
Based on the model used by the Minnesota Community Foundation for the Give to the Max Day event, or GiveMN, as it’s called — which has facilitated more than $75 million in donations to 6,600 Minnesota-based nonprofits and schools since 2009 — Valley Gives is providing more solid evidence of the effectiveness of e-philanthropy in boosting donations to nonprofits, said Leutz, adding that the program enables people like Teed to choose from more than 350 participating nonprofits, in an easy-to-use format.
Philanthropy is encouraged by program organizers, as well as individual nonprofits, who filled area residents’ e-mail boxes with reminders that Valley Gives Day was coming and messages about why their agency was worthy of support that day, and in general.
And the competition is spiced with special programs and incentives that, as Teed and countless others learned, could make an individual donation become so much more.
ValleyGivesBonusGrantWinnersIndeed, the prize pool (provided by the Community Foundation) was increased $25,000 from last year to $225,000. It includes bonuses for agencies that place high in a host of categories (see box above) as well as for the power-hour and goldenticket donations. (Hourly golden tickets worth $1,200 apiece were drawn from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and power-hour tickets offered 20 opportunities for donors to increase their donation by $1,200 during four specific hours of the day  —10 a.m., noon, 4 p.m., and 6 p.m.)
These incentives helped trigger a number of individual success stories, such as the one authored by Flying Object.
Launched in 2010, the agency has produced, hosted, and coordinated more than 250 events and exhibits and dozens of workshops, and published more than 60 books through its Factory Hollow Press, said Pettit, adding that it signed on with Valley Gives to gain visibility and more operating revenue — and wildly exceeded its expectations with both goals.
“I think our success had a lot to do with the events we had going on throughout the day and into the evening,” said Pettit. “We have a certain amount of younger people involved in the organization who really responded to the fact that it was all based around social media, and they took off and ran with it.”
But there were many other big winners that day.
For the second year in a row, Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society had the highest total of donations, with $68,965, putting it atop the field among nonprofits with budgets of $300,000 or more. The agency also boasted the highest number of unique donors, with 712. Those accomplishments netted Dakin an additional $20,000 ($10,000 for each competition) from the prize pool.
“That was thrilling for us because you know you’re reaching a lot of people, and every gift matters,” said Candy Lash, manager of marketing and communications for Dakin, which operates with a budget of $3 million. She attributes the amount of unique donations to a huge Facebook following of people who enjoy Dakin’s creative and engaging videos online.
To help promote participation, Valley Gives organizers had three mobile giving teams roaming Western Mass., from downtown Springfield to Greenfield, with iPads to help passersby make gifts to their favorite nonprofits. Meanwhile, Lash and ‘Doug the Dakin Dog’ traveled around the Valley as well, encouraging people to donate.
The outreach proved extremely successful, with some calling it the best way to encourage a new generation to give.
“If you send them [the younger generation] an end-of-the-year appeal in the mail, they might not respond in the same way they respond to something like Valley Gives Day,” said Pettit.  “And seeing that in real time made a difference.”

Community Effort

Michael Balise

Michael Balise says Balise Motor Sales donated graphic and digital-marketing expertise to this year’s Valley Gives effort.

Not all sponsors of Valley Gives donate money; in the case of Balise Motor Sales, the effort was more a donation of time and talent through graphic art and digital marketing assistance. President Michael Balise said that, while the company tends to limit its charitable giving to 501(c)(3) organizations involving children, youth sports, and family nonprofits, Valley Gives is a “no-brainer” for his auto group.
“While this may not be the most focused effort, you can give to any nonprofit, and it’s guilt-free,” Balise said. “And I think this is incremental money. I don’t think that what people are doing here for Valley Gives is displacing other spending; I think it’s getting people to give who wouldn’t normally give.”
Colleen Loveless, executive director of Rebuilding Together Springfield, agreed.
“Many donors were new, because our person-to-person fund-raising efforts really just got off the ground this year,” she noted. “However, we were excited to see that 10% of our donors were not personally asked to give, which tells us that our marketing and social-media campaigns were effective.”
But reaching, and keeping, these new donors will require continued momentum and quite possibly fresh new contests and challenges each year.
Pettit, for example, said he believes that more mobile giving teams roaming the Pioneer Valley that day with their iPads will increase on-the-go electronic giving.
Meanwhile, Loveless would like to see if donors could have a visual representation through a meter on donation pages to show how the nonprofits challenge themselves to meet increased Valley Gives fund-raising goals from year to year.
To that end, the Community Foundation is preparing surveys for nonprofits and donors this month, said Leutz, adding that the results should prove invaluable to organizers as they go about the challenging task of continually raising the bar when it comes to the annual goal, and then meeting or exceeding it.
And what will the goal be for 2014?
“I can’t really say yet, but we do have a careful practice of goal setting,” she said. “But we hope that it will be inspiring for our community, and no matter what the goal is, it’s going to be more than $2 million.”

Challenge Accepted
The results from the first two Valley Gives Days clearly show both the philanthropic nature of the Valley’s residents and businesses, and the power of the Internet as a way to facilitate giving, thus offering area nonprofits and schools more resources with which to carry out their respective missions.
“The nonprofit sector is an economic engine that employs many, and I can’t imagine any business not being online these days,” Leutz added.  “You have to bring the nonprofits into that space, and Valley Gives is a fun way to do that.”
Beyond the fun, though, are the bottom-line numbers, which for many agencies, such as Flying Object, were surprising — and what Pettit called “amazing.”
“This opens up a lot of doors for us to provide programming,” he said, “and we’re pretty good at squeezing out a lot from a dollar.”
Thanks to Valley Gives, his organization — and many others — have considerably more dollars to squeeze.

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2013.

AGAWAM

A & B Properties
134 Tobacco Farm Road
Alan Betournay

Air Duct Cleaning
31 St. Jacques Ave.
Eric Vieu

DD Appliances & More
766 Springfield St.
David Roman

Prime Construction
1004 North St.
Vladislav Vorobel

Sullivan Consulting
94 Dogwood Lane
Michael Sullivan

Tech Bootcamps
503 Silver St.
Tatiana DiDonato

CHICOPEE

Cordero Digital Consulting
91 Providence St.
Felix Cordero

Flowers by Andre
24 Billings St.
Andre Palatino

Jess Daycare
165 Szetela Dr.
Jessica Thornton

Music Sound
57 Larchmont St.
Natalya Arbuzov

Tree of Life Journeys
188 Chicopee St.
Kathi Munson

EAST LONGMEADOW

Advanced Urology of New England
40 Crane Ave.
Jacqueline Brecht

All Hose Inc.
341 Shaker Rd.
Timothy J. McCoy

Baystate Rug Distributors Inc.
55 North Main St.
Joseph Montemagni

Danny’s PC Repair
624 North Main St.
Minh Vien

Erin Chrusciel Photography
28 Country Club Dr.
Erin Chrusciel

Logo Effect
21 Redstone Dr.
Bonnie Pellerin

Nail Party
628 North Main St.
Jong K. Lee

The Ideal Way
280 North Main St.
Dierdre Pizzoferrato

Shosana P. Fitness
576 North Main St.
Shoshana Porter

The Spa of Eden Skin & Body
51 Prospect St.
Yelena Ivanov

Toner Plastics Inc.
35 Industrial Dr.
Steven Graham

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Works
100 Front St.
Larry Bay

Plumtree Products
48 Jefferson St.
Amy V. Meo

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt
50 Holyoke St.
Huot Ang

LUDLOW

Nutritional Services Consulting
54 Owens Way
Lynn Moylan

Palatino Auto & Truck Repair
110 Moody St.
Adelino Palatino

Roberts Auto Body
119 Carmelino Circle
Miroslaw Kopec

NORTHAMPTON

Finding Earth Works
29 Columbus Ave.
Alexandra Schroeder

Haven Body Arts, LLC
108 Main St.
Penelope Silverstein

Ken Hobby Design Build
95 South St.
Ken Hobbs

Main Street Haircuts
17 Main St.
Jessy Kaminski

Ninth Amulet
225 Elm St.
Elizabeth Beller

Sunnyside Childcare
557 Easthampton Road
Shelley Hinderbaker

PALMER

Motyka Funeral Home
2186 Main St.
George Motyka

Tang’s Chinese Restaurant
1581 North Main St.
Xiu Z. Chi

The Turtle Pond Tavern
349 Wilbraham St.
Karl Benware

Tricia’s Techniques
1461 North Main St.
Patricia Woffenden

SOUTHWICK

D & S Manufacturing
10 Hudson Dr.
Richard Sosnowich

Mark’s Property Services
45 Hillside Road
Mark Kuchachik

SPRINGFIELD

A & S Convenience Store
276 Oakland St.
Muhmmad Ashraf

ABA General Contracting
251 Senator St.
Olga Jagiello

Baystate Health System
345 Page Blvd.
Dennis Chalke

Centro de Nutricion
181 Chestnut St.
Clemente Orlando

China Bo Express
762 Boston Road
Tok Chang

Concentra
140 Carando Dr.
Baystate, LLC

Energizing N’ Touch Massage
529 Main St.
Hermenia Grayson

ETL’s Pharaohs Realm
691 State St.
Eddie T. Long

Family Pawn
461 Main St.
Hai D. Duong

Gordo Wireless World
856 Main St.
Maringel Benitez

Jay’s Nest, LLC
884 Sumner Ave.
Janette Ortiz

WESTFIELD

A Dream Come True Learning Centers
1029 North Road
Monica Crimmins

Avery Bats
77 Mill St.
Matthew Avery

Berkshire Product Group, LLC
16 Union Ave.
Scott Renius

Sisters Canvas & Custom Sewing
24 Elm St.
Kelly B. Houlihan

Trend Sound Promoter
176 Springdale Road
Lidia A. Grusetchi

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Dante Club Inc.
1198 Memorial Ave.
Harry Willey

Friendly’s
1094 Riverdale St.
Shanna Rhoades

Healthtrax Fitness
155 Ashley Ave.
Marina Lebo

Integrated Marketing
117 Upper Beverly Hills
Page One Productions

K and C Associates, LLC
92 Cataumet Lane
Catherine R. Hedges

Keuco Group of Bernardston
1299 Riverdale St.
Kevin Pernice

Paint Nite Springfield
93 Bonair Ave.
Christina Udas

River Inn Motel
55 Main St.
Ohm Namoshiray

Sibley Property Services
101 Sibley Ave.
John Alexander

U-Haul Company of Mass
380 Union St.
Emma Gilsdorf

Wicked Salon
338 Westfield St.
Michaela M. Murray

Worldwide Staffing
425 Union St.
KWLS Inc.

Yolanda Landscaping
596 Main St.
Maria Rodriguez

Departments People on the Move

Scott Pasquale

Scott Pasquale

Berkshire Bank recently announced that Scott Pasquale has assumed the new role of Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager. In this position, Pasquale will be responsible for the Pioneer Valley and will be based out of the East Columbus Avenue location in Springfield. Pasquale will manage commercial relationships in Western Mass., providing a high level of expertise in commercial lending.  Hewill also provide a dedicated relationship between commercial customers and Berkshire Bank’s other lines of business and financial services. Prior to coming to Berkshire, Pasquale worked for TD Bank in commercial lending and has more than 25 years of experience in the financial-services industry. Pasquale has worked for financial institutions in the Pioneer Valley and Connecticut, including UPS Capital and Glastonbury Bank & Trust Co. He attended the College of Wooster and earned a BA in Economics. Pasquale is on the board of the Western Mass. chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Assoc., which he serves as Treasurer. He also is an active participant in fund-raising for the Boy Scouts of America.
•••••
Katherine Coolidge

Katherine Coolidge

Katherine Coolidge, a Law Librarian at Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP, was recently chosen by the American Assoc. of Law Libraries as its new Executive Board Secretary. Coolidge has a JD from the Western New England University School of Law.
•••••






Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan, a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist with the John M. Glover Insurance Agency, has been named the Western Mass. Regional Member of the Year Award recipient for BNI, an international business-networking group. The award recognizes a member who is actively involved in running the chapter and has gone beyond expectations to help other members achieve new levels of success through BNI. Sullivan, a member of the BNI Mill River Chapter in Northampton since March 2011, is currently vice president of that chapter. Sullivan has worked for the Glover agency for five years and is a third-generation insurance agent. He works with businesses to educate them about the types of risks associated with their business, helping them reduce the chances of a loss through policies. Last year, he was voted ‘most valuable participant’ by class members at the Hartford School of Insurance when he was designated the commercial lines coverage specialist. Sullivan is also part of the Leadership Pioneer Valley class of 2014, a program that trains emerging leaders from the community, including nonprofits, business, and government, through a nine-month leadership-development program, and is a new board member of Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.
•••••
Jules Gaudreau, President of the Gaudreau Group Insurance and Financial Services Agency in Wilbraham, was recently elected Secretary of the National Assoc. of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and will assume the office in September 2015, serving a one-year term. NAIFA, an association that serves and represents insurance and financial advisors, has a mission to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members. Gaudreau is a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Certified Insurance Counselor, and a Licensed Insurance Advisor, and works primarily in the corporate market with a focus on employee benefits, estate, and business applications of life insurance and commercial property/casualty lines. Gaudreau is also a Million Dollar Round Table member and Top of the Table qualifier. A frequent speaker, Gaudreau is a past president of both the state and local affiliates of NAIFA and, on numerous occasions, has provided both written and oral testimony to the Massachusetts Legislature and other regulatory authorities.  He has been a director of the Mass. Assoc. of Insurance Agents and was president of Independent Insurance Agents of Hampden County, as well as the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County.
•••••
Shirley Simolari

Shirley Simolari

Keller Williams Realty of the Pioneer Valley recently added Shirley Simolari to its team. Simolari — an integral part of the startup of the newest bank in Springfield, NUVO Bank and Trust Co., where she served as Senior Vice President and Director of Creative Solutions — has an extensive knowledge of the banking industry and is licensed in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.
•••••






Michael Buckmaster

Michael Buckmaster

Springfield-based NUVO Bank & Trust Co. announced that Michael Buckmaster, Vice President of Commercial Lending, has been appointed President of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Hampden County board of directors. Buckmaster previously held the role of president from 2007 to 2009 and will serve another two-year term. Additionally, he is on the board of directors of the Hartsprings Foundation, which is responsible for the collection of donated clothes and personal items that benefit the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Hampden County. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Hampden County has been in operation since 1967 and is a nonprofit, nationally affiliated agency that matches children and youth to caring adult volunteers in consistent one-to-one mentoring relationships.
•••••
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) Senior Planner Jayne Bernhard-Armington received the 2013 Young Planner Award, which recognizes a junior or mid-level young practicing planner who has excelled in leadership, increased the impact of planning in public and private decision-making, or enhanced the American Planning Assoc. Massachusetts chapter (APA-MA). Bernhard-Armington, who specializes in housing and land-use planning, has been with the PVPC since 2008. In addition, the PVPC was selected to receive a Comprehensive Planning Award by the APA-MA. The awards were recently presented at the 2013 APA-MA/Massachusetts Assoc. of Planning Directors Annual Awards in Cambridge. The Pioneer Valley Regional Housing Plan was recognized in the Comprehensive Planning Award’s Regional category. This award was created to honor a plan, program, or process of unusually high merit.
•••••
Jean Wyld

Jean Wyld

Jean Wyld, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Springfield College, was recently presented with the Jacob Ludes III Leadership Award during the New England Assoc. of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) annual conference. The award is named after long-time leader and supporter of the NEASC Jacob Ludes III, and recognizes volunteers within NEASC who demonstrate leadership qualities that further the goals and objectives of the association. Wyld was recognized for her committed work as chair of NEASC’s Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE). As chair of the CIHE, Wyld provides leadership for the commission in its work of developing and applying the standards for accreditation that govern the nearly 300 public and private colleges and universities in New England and abroad accredited by NEASC. She also joined the NEASC board of trustees to represent the needs of higher education in the New England region and to external groups. Wyld has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Springfield College since 2001. Prior to this role, she served as the Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Academic Affairs at York College of Pennsylvania, and as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. While at Colby-Sawyer, she was selected as an American Council of Education fellow, and served her fellowship year at Boston College.

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2013.

AGAWAM

Dental Group
340 Walnut Street Ext.
$25,000 — Renovate 1,500 square feet for dental practice

Frank Decaro
1226B Springfield St.
$14,000 — Interior renovation for a coffee shop

Six Flags New England
1623 Main St.
$450,000 — Construction of new Sky Screamer ride

CHICOPEE

B-G Mechanical Contractors
6 2nd Ave.
$561,000 — Construct a 12,690-square-foot pre-engineered metal building

Birch Manor
455 Burnett Road
$8,500 — Re-roof

David Pulcini
747 Memorial Dr.
$4,000 — Install exhaust fan for pizza oven

Pioneer Valley Condo Assoc.
99-111 Colonial Circle
$23,500 — Strip and re-roof

GREENFIELD

Greenfield Housing Authority
1 Elm St.
$187,000 — Construct egress stair addition for basement offices

Shahid Habib
124 Conway St.
$13,000 — Exterior renovations

Patricia Wood
303 Wisdom Way
$214,000 — Construct two self-storage buildings

NORTHAMPTON

298 Main Street, LLC
298 Main St.
$314,000 — Interior renovation and elevator

Gere & Son Inc.
115 Conz St.
$8,500,000 — Construct a four-story Fairfield Inn-Marriott Hotel

Glandore, LLC
766 North King St.
$88,000 — Repair automobile damage

Harmonic Rock
125 Pleasant St.
$55,000 — Re-roof

Liberty Mutual Insurance
11 Village Hill Road
$263,000 — Construct partitions for tenant build out

Lloyd Tarlin
228 King St.
$54,000 — Interior fit out for Great Clips

Northampton Co-Operative Bank
65 King St.
$73,000 — Interior renovations

Northampton Housing Authority
96 Bridge St.
$32,000 — Replacement doors and accessible sidewalk

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
54 Industrial Dr.
$1,110,000 — Interior renovations

Robert Curran
244 Main St.
$50,000 — Interior renovations

Smith College
Belmont Ave.
$4,112,000 — Construct two-story Wellness Health Center

William Phillips
149 Easthampton Road
$162,000 — Install 182 roof mounted solar panels

SOUTH HADLEY

Marois Construction
470 Granby Road
$1,399,000 — Medical office remodel

SOUTHWICK

Roof Diagnostics
6 Sterrett Dr.
$27,000 — Install 27 solar panels

SPRINGFIELD

3640 Main Street, LLC
3640 Main St.
$63,000 — 1582-square-foot office build-out

Baystate Health
298 Carew St.
$274,000 — Fit-out space for new pharmacy

Carpe Diem Apartments
1228-1240 Carew St.
$5,000 — Interior repairs

City of Springfield
773 Liberty St.
$80,000 — Convert library to social center

Mass Development Finance Agency
1550 Main St.
$122,000 — Tenant fit-out

New North Professional Condo Association
1795 Main St.
$144,000 — New roof

Pearson ADAP Development Co.
1322 Liberty St.
$35,000 — New roof

WP Realty, Inc.
1387 Liberty St.
$550,000 — Interior fit-out for gymnasium

WESTFIELD

Cumberland Farms
1134 Southampton Road
$569,000 — Construction of convenience store

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Bank of America
99 Westfield St.
$25,000 — Convert existing window to drive thru ATM

O’Connell Convenience Plus
2044 Riverside St.
$28,000 — Renovations

Community Profile Features
Granby Officials Master a Difficult Balancing Act

CommunityProfilesMAPgranbyFour decades.
One could say that’s how long it took to get a new municipal library built in Granby, said Virginia Snopek, a retired teacher in the town’s school system who chaired the building committee that finally got the job done and then orchestrated the elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 16 that drew more than 1,000 residents.
But while serious talk of replacing the quaint, one-room structure built in 1917 officially began in 1973, active work to build a new facility was sporadic, said Snopek, who counted five different attempts to break ground in the ensuing years, the last, and ultimately successful, one coming in 2010, after town voters turned down a school-building project that would have included a new library, a development that effectively re-energized efforts to get a new facility built.
The elegant, $4.6 million, 12,062-square-foot library came to fruition thanks to an aggressive capital campaign that raised more than $3 million, said Snopek, adding that the successful end to this endeavor provides evidence of this rural community’s patience and resiliency, and offers another example of how change often comes slowly here.

Virginia Snopek

Virginia Snopek says the successful campaign to build a new public library is a good example of the community spirit that exists in Granby.

But not always. Indeed, thanks in large part to more than $15 million in ‘host fees’ generated by the regional landfill built and operated by Waste Management within the town’s borders, Granby was able to undertake a number of municipal projects, including the library, in the past decade or so. Others included a new police/fire complex, and Highway Department building, and relocation of the Council on Aging, said Louis Barry, former town police chief and current chair of the Board of Selectmen, adding that this unique revenue source has enabled the town to do all that without incurring costly debt.
“We owe nothing on the police station, the library, the Council on Aging, or the Highway Department building,” he noted. “We’ve done an incredible amount of construction in a short amount of time and don’t owe a dime, all because of that trash fund.”
But soon, that fund, or “cash cow,” as Barry called it, will be referenced only in the past tense. Indeed, the landfill is scheduled to close Dec. 31, leaving the town with both short- and long-term challenges. In the first category is the simple matter of how and where the town will now dispose of its trash, while the second includes the need to find new, and equally creative, ways to fund municipal projects.
And that challenge comes as the community’s leaders are moving to balance residential growth and those aforementioned municipal improvements with the growth of a business sector still dominated mostly by very small businesses and agricultural ventures.
The MacDuffie School recently relocated from Springfield to the former St. Hyacinth’s Seminary property off School Street, giving Granby a new second-largest employer (behind the municipality itself), but officials are eyeing more commercial development. To encourage it, discussions have been commenced about rezoning Route 202, the main throughway, enabling different types of businesses to locate there, and also about the possibility of infrastructure improvements, such as municipal water and sewer services, which would make the town much more attractive to businesses in several sectors.
“A new sewer line, and possibly town water, isn’t part of rezoning for business, but together, they could enable Granby to lay down a plan for the future, and that’s been one of the missions for the Granby Planning Department,” said Pam Desjardins, chair of the Planning Department.
For this, the final installment of its Community Profile series in 2013, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Granby, its recent history, and emerging plans to make this bedroom community a more business-friendly address.

A New Chapter

Granby Free Public Library

A November ribbon cutting celebrated the new $4.6 million, 12,062-square-foot Granby Free Public Library, an effort 40 years in the making.

When visiting a neighboring community’s library, Snopek said, she came across a plaque that read, “communities build libraries; libraries build communities.”
“And that really was what happened with our project,” she went on, adding that the initiative was truly a community-wide effort that not only gave the town a 21st-century facility with a host of amenities — including a children’s programming room, a community room that seats 60, and an area dedicated to teens — but also gave it a source of pride and sense of accomplishment, even if it took 40 years to realize the dream.
Elaborating, she said the long and varied list of donations for the project drives home that notion of a community endeavor. That list includes the gift of land on which the facility was built — made by the Alice and Fred Stewart family — as well as a large challenge grant by the Fowler-Bombardier Family Charitable Trust, and even an in-kind donation of services by a local landscape-design student.
This sense of community has been a trademark of the town since it was settled in 1727 as part of South Hadley. Incorporated in 1768, Granby, which also shares borders with Ludlow, Belchertown, Amherst, and Chicopee, has been a farming community for most of its existence, and there are several agricultural ventures still in operation.
The Dickinson Farm & Greenhouse is one of them. Operated by members of the LaFlamme family — Leonard and his sons, Marc, Mike, and Bruce — the 265-acre farm focuses on produce and flowers. And this time of year, that means poinsettias.
“We sell roughly 15,000 a year,” said Marc as he gestured to one recently emptied greenhouse and another that was reaching that state, noting that many of the festive plants are bound for other florists and churches in the region.
The 70-year-old business also includes several pick-your-own fields planted with strawberries, blueberries, and apples, as well as a second retail location (the original) in Chicopee called LaFlamme’s Garden Center. Like other businesses in town, it has benefited greatly from the loyalty of those who grew up in Granby and surrounding communities and want to buy local.
“We’re a family here, and we take the brunt of everything,” LaFlamme said, adding that, instead of laying off employees during the recent recession, the family remained conscious of each season’s sales, planning for each year based on the year before. “And some people really do understand that ours is fresher, and the Buy Local campaign is helping us.”
When asked about the business climate in the town, he said most businesses have weathered the recent fiscal storms and are holding their own.
“Things aren’t much different than they were 10 years ago,” he noted. “People still have jobs; they’re still working. Things aren’t necessarily getting better, but they aren’t getting any worse, either.”
But there are signs of improvement and new vibrancy, said Barry, who cited the relocation of MacDuffie as an indication that the community can attract new businesses.
Tom Addicks, MacDuffie’s assistant head of school, said the institution, which was founded in Springfield in 1890, was hampered in its ability to grow by the land-locked nature of the campus, located just a few blocks from that city’s central business district. Space is not an issue in Granby — the school’s footprint covers 26 of the seminary’s 500 acres — and he said there are plans in place for further construction.
“MacDuffie is planning to increase its enrollment as soon as possible, and we hope to break ground on an arts facility as soon as the funds are raised,” said Addicks, adding that further expansion of the institution would be greatly aided by infrastructure improvements such as municipal water and sewer services.
Barry concurred, but noted that such a significant step could alter the town’s fortunes — and character — in many ways, if growth is not carefully controlled.
“We don’t have sewer or town water, and that’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “It has limited our development, which is a good thing, if you like rural living, but the limited development is also a bad thing because it limits tax revenue.”

Footnotes
Ultimately, the community, like many in this region, would like to achieve a greater balance between residential and commercial growth, said Barry, adding that, with the library project now in the books, it’s time to focus on the next chapters in this town’s history.
Whatever those new developments are, they probably won’t take 40 years to come to fruition. But they will be community projects, in every sense of that phrase, because that’s how it’s always been in this town, and that’s one thing that won’t change.

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Arnold’s & Eddies Food Inc. v. West Street Bar & Grill Inc. d/b/a Maximum Capacity
Allegation: Breach of contract and monies owed: $7,054
Filed: 12/4/13

Gwendolyn A. Corden v. Family Dollar Store
Allegation: Negligent property maintenance causing injury: $3,640
Filed: 11/15/13

Ondrick Natural Earth, LLC v. Connecticut Valley Landscaping Inc. and Steve E. Bercume
Allegation: Breach of contract and monies owed: $5,516.49
Filed: 11/18/13

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
American Express v. Brent J. Bertelli and Bertelli Holdings
Allegation: Breach of contract: $39,000
Filed: 11/26/13

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Blake Group Holdings Inc. d/b/a Blake Equipment v. Richard A. Baker d/b/a Geosun Design
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $41,497.13
Filed: 12/10/13

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Donald F. Kelloway Jr. v. Core Security Technologies
Allegation: Suit on previous judgment: $3,337.24
Filed: 10/17/13

John P. O’Rourke v. The Hampshire Council of Governments
Allegation: Failure to pay wages: $3,859.24
Filed: 11/5/13

Sesac Inc. v. Cutting Edge Broadcasting Inc. d/b/a WEIB-FM 106.3
Allegation: Breach of performance license agreement: $16,867.64
Filed: 10/7/13

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Board of Trustees Wentworth Condominium Trust v. J.W.O. Realty Inc. and Tallage, IMR
Allegation: Unpaid condominium common-area charges: $4,669.50
Filed: 12/2/13

East Baking Co. Inc. v. Papa’s Bread & Snack Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $33,880.50
Filed: 12/4/13

Goodless Electric Co. Inc. v. Target Restoration Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for electrical goods and services rendered: $8,852.90
Filed: 11/22/13

Jaya Lodgings, LLC d/b/a Candlewood Suites v. Energy Smart Resources Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract, misrepresentation, and monies owed: $57,600
Filed: 12/2/13

Skyworks, LLC v. Optimum Building and Inspection Services Inc.
Allegation: Balance remaining for rental equipment provided: $4,928.50
Filed: 11/20/13

Departments Real Estate

The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BERNARDSTON

19 Chapin Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Samantha A. Fabian
Seller: Timothy W. Artus
Date: 11/26/13

CHARLEMONT

80 Warner Hill Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Brian C. Rose
Seller: Lorraine C. Cetto
Date: 11/27/13

DEERFIELD

Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Walter Of Hadley Inc.
Seller: Gregory M. Gardner
Date: 11/14/13

640 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Lucas G. Hanks
Seller: Michael A. Urkiel
Date: 11/27/13

33 Upper Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: John F. Dubino
Seller: Jacqueline A. Hanlon
Date: 11/15/13

49 Whitmore Ferry Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Eric Lichter
Seller: Tatiana Scott
Date: 11/25/13

GILL

14 South Cross Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Karen Ross
Date: 11/26/13

GREENFIELD

20 Albert Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Carl Silver
Seller: Warren C. Pittenger
Date: 11/25/13

1035 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Ann M. Hall
Seller: Dashiell, Florence S., (Estate)
Date: 11/12/13

29 Brookside Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Allen M. Baker
Seller: Barbara S. Thomas
Date: 11/26/13

278 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $182,243
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Mark Duncan
Date: 11/14/13

427 Davis St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Paul F. Sirum
Seller: Francis G. Sirum
Date: 11/15/13

28 Linden Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Jovonna L. Pelt
Seller: Lyle F. Williams
Date: 11/15/13

40 Lovers Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Shanna L. Burke
Seller: William R. Hazlett
Date: 11/15/13

13 Oak St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $129,000
Buyer: John R. Martin
Seller: Betty Snow
Date: 11/18/13

55 Riddell St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Buyer: Beth M. Reynolds
Seller: Marjorie E. Faneuf
Date: 11/20/13

72 Vernon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $136,300
Buyer: Matthew E. Hall
Date: 11/27/13

HEATH

230 Number 9 Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Michael C. Shattuck
Seller: Caracciolo, Jean F., (Estate)
Date: 11/25/13

LEVERETT

159 Long Plain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jessica M. Rocheleau
Seller: Margery M. Noel
Date: 11/20/13

108 Old Mountain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Jonathan R. Thompson
Seller: Juan C. Arean
Date: 11/12/13

LEYDEN

63 West Leyden Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $160,986
Buyer: Michael Dagilus
Seller: Christopher J. Morin
Date: 11/15/13

12 Zimmerman Hill Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Franklin Land Trust Inc.
Seller: Phillip H. Zimmerman
Date: 11/15/13

MONTAGUE

4 9th Ave.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Catherine M. Cronk
Seller: Robert L. Adams
Date: 11/22/13

25 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: Jonathan B. Scully
Seller: Nathaniel J. Malloy
Date: 11/22/13

83 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Paul A. Thayer
Seller: Harrington, Sharon, (Estate)
Date: 11/25/13

50 Prospect St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: John E. Cagle
Seller: Edward F. Wilcox
Date: 11/26/13

108 South Prospect St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Leon R. Laster
Seller: Sarah E. Hammond
Date: 11/14/13

41 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01301
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jeremy M. Toal
Seller: Jeannine Huey
Date: 11/15/13

NORTHFIELD

233 Old Wendell Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Robert Girard
Seller: Helen L. Johnson
Date: 11/22/13

SHELBURNE

Bardwells Ferry Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Franklin Land Trust Inc.
Seller: Madeline C. McKinnon IRT
Date: 11/20/13

452 Colrain Shelburne Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: John N Hoffman
Seller: Richard H. Easton
Date: 11/13/13

1089 Mohawk Trail
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: David A. Healey
Seller: William M. Smith
Date: 11/15/13

64 Water St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Emily D. Howe
Seller: Nathalie A. McCormack
Date: 11/15/13

SUNDERLAND

153 Amherst Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $135,807
Buyer: RBS Citizens
Seller: Stephen R. McPheters
Date: 11/15/13

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

13 Barn Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Fay
Seller: Uwe H. Porth
Date: 11/27/13

51 Federal St. Ext.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Tracy Word
Seller: Terrence A. Cabey
Date: 11/26/13

66 Highland St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Jessica C. Nieves
Seller: Darrell M. Myco
Date: 11/25/13

42 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Grillo
Seller: Charles F. Denison
Date: 11/26/13

25 Seymour Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Vladimir Kindzerskiy
Seller: Audrey W. Besaw
Date: 11/27/13

41 Plumtree Way
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $387,500
Buyer: Igor Palgi
Seller: Kopatz Construction Inc.
Date: 11/21/13

86 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jonathan Allard
Seller: Christopher Mastroianni
Date: 11/21/13

97 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Jean-Pierre Wood
Seller: Jules J. Lavalley
Date: 11/15/13

917 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Bernard W. Wangamati
Seller: Viktor Lysenko
Date: 11/25/13

BLANDFORD

9 Woronoco Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $152,886
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Kathleen R. Gilbreath
Date: 11/25/13

BRIMFIELD

10 Dearth Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: David J. Hirsch
Seller: Paul Rugani
Date: 11/27/13

68 Holland Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Daniel G. Ryan
Seller: Gary M. Wood
Date: 11/21/13

53 Prospect Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Andrew P. Rolinger
Seller: Dorothy H. Gerrish
Date: 11/29/13

166 Warren Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Eric D. Carley
Seller: Christopher C. Dorr
Date: 11/22/13

CHESTER

110 Emery St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $183,149
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Thomas R. Ouellette
Date: 11/15/13

CHICOPEE

223 Asselin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Wallace E. Kluza
Seller: Barbara D. Williams
Date: 11/15/13

306 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kenneth A. Stacy
Seller: Mike Fregeau
Date: 11/15/13

106 Clark St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Kessler
Seller: Kevin M. Klosek
Date: 11/26/13

112 Cobb Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Kevin M. Bradway
Seller: Barbara J. Frederick
Date: 11/22/13

47 Crestwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: James C. Pion
Seller: Mark S. Pion
Date: 11/19/13

34 Deslauriers St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Keefe
Seller: Patricia T. Novak
Date: 11/19/13

35 Edbert St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Timothy S. Geary
Seller: Carol C. Rogalski
Date: 11/26/13

228 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Jurkowski
Seller: Dennis Jurkowski
Date: 11/13/13

60 Hawthorn St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Duane E. Sivard
Seller: Cheryl A. Peters
Date: 11/27/13

145 Holyoke Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Szymon P. Wolanczyk
Seller: Gladu, Claire R., (Estate)
Date: 11/13/13

16 Hyde Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Walter R. Lahair
Seller: Cindy F. Carabetta
Date: 11/15/13

277 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Nathan A. Hall
Seller: William Devine
Date: 11/22/13

164 Lukasik St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Sergei Cheremushkin
Seller: DGL Properties LLC
Date: 11/27/13

131 Manning St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Lori A. Letendre
Seller: Stephen E. Kamienski
Date: 11/26/13

232 McCarthy Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $164,500
Buyer: Heidi M. Heisler
Seller: Madeleine G. Jacques
Date: 11/26/13

105 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $132,900
Buyer: Anmar Khalil
Seller: Hector Rivera
Date: 11/12/13

319 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Deborah A. Farrar
Seller: Clement M. Poitras
Date: 11/27/13

105 Northwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $156,400
Buyer: Andrew J. Potts
Seller: Maralee A. Smith
Date: 11/27/13

196 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Joseph F. Chessey
Seller: John J. Regan
Date: 11/15/13

35 Orchard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $191,100
Buyer: Philip Roberts
Seller: Mark W. Sims
Date: 11/27/13

851 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Roger J. Martin
Seller: Jessica Dubois
Date: 11/27/13

32 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Julia Romero
Seller: Joshua Klein
Date: 11/26/13

85 Ruskin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Roger J. Hannigan
Seller: Maria M. Gauthier
Date: 11/15/13

143 Sesame Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Alex B. Devivo
Seller: James E. Hogan
Date: 11/25/13

318 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Dean F. Parker
Seller: Stanley F. Lusnia
Date: 11/15/13

62 Stedman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Melissa Sueiras
Seller: Morrissette, Andrew N., (Estate)
Date: 11/18/13

EAST LONGMEADOW

191 Chestnut St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $129,000
Buyer: Tomroc Holdings LLC
Seller: Scott Pattenaude
Date: 11/22/13

87 Edmund St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Stephanie J. Dunaj
Seller: Benjamin Witruk
Date: 11/22/13

45 Gerrard Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $160,127
Buyer: Santander Bank
Seller: Christina A. Braska
Date: 11/12/13

90 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: MBQ Realty LLC
Seller: WJQ Realty LLC
Date: 11/13/13

38 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Kerri A. Cicia
Seller: An Dinh
Date: 11/21/13

335 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ashley McCarthy
Seller: Dylan E. Bond
Date: 11/26/13

45 Saint Joseph Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Shannon M. Murphy
Seller: Gemma A. Balukonis
Date: 11/26/13

341 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: KRM Real Estate LLC
Seller: Gulf Printing Co.
Date: 11/21/13

HAMPDEN

27 Greenleaf Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: John W. Thompson
Seller: J. A. Comprone-Weber
Date: 11/18/13

97 Scantic Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Buyer: Benjamin R. Witruk
Seller: Timothy J. O’Brien
Date: 11/22/13

31 South Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $373,700
Buyer: James E. Arooth
Seller: Charlotte M. Thomas
Date: 11/12/13

198 Stafford Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $354,000
Buyer: Jeffrey N Schneider
Seller: Marc A. Pasteris
Date: 11/26/13

HOLYOKE

141 Cabot St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Holyoke Apartments LLC
Seller: Bayview Loan Servicing
Date: 11/18/13

17 Forestdale Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Consurgo Properties LLC
Seller: Scott M. Tundermann
Date: 11/15/13

18 Knollwood Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $165,900
Buyer: Michael J. Haas
Seller: Susan C. Seitz
Date: 11/27/13

26 Knollwood Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $211,345
Buyer: Edmond Dupont
Seller: David Edelman
Date: 11/15/13

1125 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $126,500
Buyer: Joshua Beauregard
Seller: Gary J. Provost
Date: 11/27/13

149 Morgan St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Bryan R. Horch
Seller: Robert W. Humphreys
Date: 11/15/13

66 Sherwood Terrace
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $145,915
Buyer: Aurelio Colon
Seller: Nsp Residential LLC
Date: 11/22/13

645 West Cherry St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Stuart G. Lempke
Seller: Ronald A. Fraser
Date: 11/12/13

316 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Huel Fritz
Seller: Didonato, Marcella E., (Estate)
Date: 11/26/13

LONGMEADOW

8 Brookwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Geoffrey P. Adams
Seller: Ira M. Schoenberger
Date: 11/15/13

580 Frank Smith Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $446,500
Buyer: Andrew G. Fenster
Seller: Curtis G. Wohlers
Date: 11/15/13

64 Hawthorne St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $251,250
Buyer: Anthony J. Marchetta
Seller: Kristin L. Capell
Date: 11/12/13

190 Kenmore Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Joanne Leboeuf
Seller: Bethany L. Bollerman
Date: 11/15/13

635 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $282,500
Buyer: Gregory Dumeny
Seller: Matthew W. MacDonald
Date: 11/14/13

80 Meadow Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Andrea M. Kureczka
Seller: Vera L. Scanlon
Date: 11/15/13

114 Riverview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $254,117
Buyer: David J. Loonie
Seller: Timothy S. Tehan
Date: 11/27/13

91 Williston Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Ira M. Schoenberger
Seller: Seymour M. Frankel
Date: 11/15/13

LUDLOW

70 Eden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: James J. Manewich
Seller: Denise Stuart
Date: 11/26/13

77 Gamache Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: William J. Musiak
Seller: Alfred F. Meher
Date: 11/15/13

24 Higher St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $132,886
Buyer: Michael Genereux
Seller: Alfred Lopes
Date: 11/22/13

107 Lakeview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Vera L. Scanlon
Seller: Jennie Brodowski
Date: 11/27/13

Parker Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Antonio A. Dias
Seller: Whitetail Wreks LLC
Date: 11/18/13

210 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Edward N. Deragon
Seller: Wesley Blask
Date: 11/26/13

98 Tilley St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.
Seller: James J. Manewich
Date: 11/25/13

6 Warwick Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $249,999
Buyer: Erin K. Wasik-Gutierrez
Seller: James M. Wojnar
Date: 11/12/13

191 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Partyka Partners LP
Seller: Emile A. Pelletier
Date: 11/14/13

319 West Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Shawn Gomes
Seller: Fernando Vital
Date: 11/27/13

159 Whitney St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ronald M. Hudon
Seller: Maria A. Soares
Date: 11/25/13

MONSON

119 Butler Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Holden C. Harlow
Seller: Martin, Katherine E., (Estate)
Date: 11/14/13

216 East Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Edward J. Veneto
Seller: Wayne A. Evans
Date: 11/15/13

79 Silver St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Carrie E. Franck
Seller: Marguerite Cusson
Date: 11/27/13

28 Waid Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Ballou
Seller: Donald J. Lemon
Date: 11/15/13

27 Zuell Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Tania Chrzanowski
Seller: Mark R. Hamel
Date: 11/27/13

MONTGOMERY

162 Pitcher St.
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Julia A. Connolly
Seller: Helga M. Sinhart
Date: 11/22/13

PALMER

92 Boston Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Joseph F. Gulluni
Seller: Marilyn J. Synder
Date: 11/20/13

34 Forest Lake Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Elaine McNeill
Seller: Alexander G. Larosa
Date: 11/15/13

51 Fuller Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Nicholas Kalogeras
Seller: Jason Keegan
Date: 11/26/13

20 Glenn St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Holly A. Farrar
Seller: Sheila Rivest
Date: 11/18/13

36 Grove St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $145,873
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Laurie A. Rocco
Date: 11/15/13

30 King St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Francesco Cardaropoli
Seller: Legacy Strategic Inv. LP
Date: 11/15/13

4038 Pleasant St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Jianaces
Seller: Scott W. Flowers
Date: 11/19/13

26 South St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Wayne S. Schofield
Seller: Gerald F. Flynn
Date: 11/13/13

SPRINGFIELD

16 Alden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Fathima LLC
Seller: BDMG LLC
Date: 11/26/13

1033 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Nercy Rodriguez
Seller: Minh Lam
Date: 11/13/13

50 Alsace St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Iris Martinez
Seller: Edwin Cartagena
Date: 11/25/13

55 Alvin St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: David Valentin
Seller: William C. McEwan
Date: 11/13/13

42 Amos Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Kelly M. Worthen
Seller: Ana Muller
Date: 11/19/13

61 Ashbrook St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Tasha J. Ellison
Seller: Visneau, Beverly F., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/13

213 Ashland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $123,500
Buyer: Jonathan P. Florian
Seller: Sarah J. Messier
Date: 11/14/13

12 Baird Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Erika A. Colon
Date: 11/20/13

313 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: Robert T. Knight RE Inc.
Date: 11/13/13

383 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: Robert T. Knight RE Inc.
Date: 11/13/13

406 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: Robert T. Knight RE Inc.
Date: 11/13/13

892 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Sabrina S. Swinton
Seller: Wini L. Mercure
Date: 11/14/13

24 Bucholz St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: MA Mutual Life Insurance
Seller: Anita J. Hodges
Date: 11/19/13

11 Carlton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $117,900
Buyer: Giselle M. Pica
Seller: Anthony Carnevale
Date: 11/22/13

126 Clarendon St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $266,280
Buyer: Walter W. Bigelow
Seller: Kenneth P. Freundt
Date: 11/15/13

66 Clearbrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Jonathon Nunez
Seller: Michael Porcello
Date: 11/14/13

144 Colorado St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Robert R. Balicki
Seller: Nolava LLC
Date: 11/15/13

37 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Kenrick Ngo
Seller: Daniel M. Glick
Date: 11/12/13

95 Corona St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Molina
Seller: Christine M. Burnett
Date: 11/27/13

39 Dorset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Laura M. McTigue
Seller: Anthony Maloni
Date: 11/20/13

36 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Mark Coffey
Seller: Albano, Pasquale, (Estate)
Date: 11/12/13

38 Emmet St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $129,799
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Noemi Diaz
Date: 11/29/13

45 Gerald St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $118,500
Buyer: Chanon C. Palm
Seller: Timothy M. Guilmain
Date: 11/26/13

254 Hartwick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Nicola Liquori
Seller: Jack D. Warren
Date: 11/26/13

14 Inglewood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Jacob Roy
Seller: Anita Allard
Date: 11/25/13

120 Leyfred Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Suanne A. Murrell
Seller: Martin Johnson
Date: 11/20/13

44 Mazarin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Joao M. Pereria TR
Seller: Wieslaw Sokolowski
Date: 11/13/13

21 Nathaniel St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Yolma E. Ortiz
Seller: David A. Wilkinson
Date: 11/27/13

66 Newton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Toghlob H. Mourad
Seller: Ethel M. Merchant
Date: 11/12/13

113 Old Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Jennifer Martin
Seller: Margaret E. Murray
Date: 11/22/13

79 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $115,200
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Galen Keller
Date: 11/14/13

67 Pennsylvania Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Ashley J. Gagne
Seller: Kathleen A. Goodwin
Date: 11/20/13

184 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $148,500
Buyer: Joanne Harney
Seller: Elaine R. Hastings
Date: 11/19/13

25 Rock Hill Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $141,200
Buyer: Gilbert R. Barton
Seller: Edna E. Donegan
Date: 11/18/13

17 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Maple Tree Investments
Seller: Diane Manicki
Date: 11/22/13

16 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $576,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: Robert T. Knight RE Inc.
Date: 11/13/13

24 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: Robert T. Knight RE Inc.
Date: 11/13/13

831 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Jose L. Cuevas
Seller: Carlos A. Lopes
Date: 11/12/13

44 Thorndyke St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $140,399
Buyer: Lisa A. Moriarty
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 11/22/13

26 Tioga St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Lauren S. Gougeon
Seller: Allie S. Hudroge
Date: 11/15/13

184 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $201,981
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Antonio D. Grandoit
Date: 11/25/13

122 West Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Angel L. Ramos
Seller: Kenneth W. Ralph
Date: 11/25/13

115 White Birch Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Carlos A. Palacio
Seller: William M. Wagner
Date: 11/15/13

55 Wing St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Alpiarca
Seller: HSBC Bank USA NA
Date: 11/27/13

SOUTHWICK

95 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $317,000
Buyer: William M. Pike
Seller: James Bona
Date: 11/22/13

105 Coes Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Tracy L. Gorman
Seller: Richard K. Seaver
Date: 11/12/13

15 Crystal Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Joseph J. Bailey
Seller: Timothy M. Zabik
Date: 11/15/13

49 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Eugene A. Kube
Seller: Tonga A. York
Date: 11/26/13

3 Iroquois Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Amanda L. Manzi
Seller: David A. Thimmesh
Date: 11/27/13

12 Lexington Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $437,000
Buyer: Andrew W. Sexton
Seller: William R. Tynan
Date: 11/15/13

8 Reservoir Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $333,500
Buyer: Travis T. Keiderling
Seller: Jeffrey J. Fay
Date: 11/26/13

90 Will Palmer Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Bradford W. Fleming
Seller: Basista, Theodore J., (Estate)
Date: 11/26/13

TOLLAND

218 South Village Road
Amount: $232,900
Buyer: Roy P. Torzullo
Seller: Edward Zakowicz
Date: 11/12/13

219 Slope Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $163,250
Buyer: Salvatore J. Correnti
Seller: Schroeder TR
Date: 11/13/13

WALES

57 Monson Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Anatoliy A. Komarov
Seller: George P. Goulas
Date: 11/26/13

161 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $133,900
Buyer: Elizabeth M. Besaw
Seller: John Paolucci
Date: 11/15/13

WESTFIELD

211 Barbara St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Rinaldi
Seller: Dennis F. Dalton
Date: 11/15/13

69 Deer Path Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Steven J. Beagle
Seller: Robert M. Jacques
Date: 11/22/13

6 Evergreen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Richard E. Fuller
Seller: Kevin R. Fuller
Date: 11/21/13

8 Gold St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Carlos L. Matos
Seller: Jennie M. Kowalczyk
Date: 11/15/13

7 Laurel Terrace
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Chad C. Patterson
Seller: Jason W. Adams
Date: 11/15/13

11 Livingstone Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $217,242
Buyer: JP Morgan Chase Bank
Seller: Kristin A. Jachym

85 Mechanic St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $155,878
Buyer: USA HUD
Seller: Lisa E. Gonzales
Date: 11/14/13

265 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Steven P. Beals
Seller: Bent Tree Development LLC
Date: 11/13/13

38 Mountain View St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Sarah E. Warn
Seller: Catherine A. Harrington
Date: 11/25/13

422 North Elm St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Pumphrey RT
Seller: Wayne Fowles
Date: 11/29/13

2 Overlook Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: George J. Michael
Seller: Wied, William H., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/13

146 Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Christopher Adamczyk
Seller: William R. Gorman
Date: 11/12/13

37 Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Keith J. Lemon
Seller: Charles A. Smith
Date: 11/18/13

130 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $2,275,000
Buyer: Saremi LLP
Seller: Westfield N. Realty LLC
Date: 11/18/13

11 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $126,500
Buyer: Barbara J. Oleksak
Seller: Rita D. Rodden
Date: 11/14/13

43 West Silver St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $156,300
Buyer: Roberto Deleon
Seller: Wilfredo V. Estrada
Date: 11/22/13

23 Wieser Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Kimberly A. Morin
Date: 11/25/13

WEST SPRINGFIELD

38 Ames Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Mihail Orlov
Seller: Kathleen D. Wuesthoff
Date: 11/25/13

232 Ashley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Patricia A. Damato
Seller: Joseph J. Deedy
Date: 11/29/13

55 Circuit Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $866,250
Buyer: HR Massachusetts LLC
Seller: CT Valley Block Co. Inc.
Date: 11/18/13

13 Cora St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: John T. Langlois
Seller: Steven S. Follett
Date: 11/15/13

59 Druids Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $213,553
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Jacqueline C. Moody
Date: 11/15/13

40 Elm Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Gerald Triggs
Seller: Phillips, Rita J., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/13

56 Hanover St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Glenn G. Rocheleau
Seller: Maria A. Lombardi
Date: 11/27/13

206 Hillcrest Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Luuy Hoang
Seller: Kerri A. Cicia
Date: 11/19/13

60 Labelle St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Pavel Khodunov
Seller: FNMA
Date: 11/27/13

297 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,200
Buyer: Nicole B. Montminy
Seller: Robert Holmes
Date: 11/21/13

40 Piper Cross Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Adam C. Belson
Seller: Lauren M. Krok
Date: 11/27/13

1461 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: 635 Riverdale Street LLC
Seller: Barbara E. Doty
Date: 11/15/13

702 Rogers Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Marianna Cosentini
Seller: Patricia E. Stamand
Date: 11/15/13

110 Sawmill Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Scott Joubert
Seller: Shalu George
Date: 11/15/13

58 Thomas Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kazbek Aldabayev
Seller: Timothy J. Lynch
Date: 11/22/13

697 Union St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Union St. Auto Sales LLC
Seller: Richard D. Rindels
Date: 11/15/13

43 Virginia Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $208,500
Buyer: William A. Moynihan
Seller: Elizabeth A. Cilley
Date: 11/15/13

35 Woodbrook Ter
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Sanjay A. Patel
Seller: Frank J. Capuano
Date: 11/26/13

WILBRAHAM

6 Decorie Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Tanya M. Basile
Seller: Virginia R. Swallow
Date: 11/14/13

400 Dipping Hole Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Mohsen Shabani
Seller: Gary R. Tallman
Date: 11/13/13

45 East Longmeadow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Patrick R. Farrow
Seller: Michael D. Mirakian
Date: 11/15/13

8 Meadowview Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jose N Diniz
Seller: Michelle Y. Jacques
Date: 11/14/13

5 Ronald Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $190,887
Buyer: RBS Citizens NA
Seller: Verna L. Ledoux
Date: 11/20/13

15 Ruth Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $276,500
Buyer: Jaime A. Lopez
Seller: Magarian, Mary E., (Estate)
Date: 11/18/13

10 Stirling Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Clifford W. Zimmer
Seller: Emily R. Gralia
Date: 11/22/13

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

209 Alpine Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $404,000
Buyer: Douglas Salvador
Seller: Navneet Marwaha
Date: 11/15/13

Kingman Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Prashant J. Shenoy
Seller: Bruce H. Patterson
Date: 11/20/13

30 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Amherst Building LLC
Seller: Amherst Realty Co. Inc.
Date: 11/15/13

20 Overlook Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Kathleen A. Lazdowski
Seller: Schiller RET
Date: 11/18/13

Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Town Of Amherst
Seller: Lorraine H. Brunelle
Date: 11/25/13

233 Stanley St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: John J. Driscoll
Seller: Erin E. Jacque
Date: 11/21/13

65 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Javad Moshfegh
Seller: Anne M. Mcintosh
Date: 11/22/13

BELCHERTOWN

91 Eskett Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Eliza A. Summers
Seller: Robert S. Allard RET
Date: 11/14/13

233 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $149,900
Buyer: John A. Nally
Date: 11/15/13

590 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Michael Teixeira
Seller: Daniel J. O’Connor
Date: 11/25/13

43 Old Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $222,800
Buyer: Lee C. Larcheveque
Seller: Jeffrey A. Dauber
Date: 11/19/13

19 Robin Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Joydell Cebula
Seller: Donald S. Carano
Date: 11/15/13

581 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Stephanie St.Denis
Seller: Elaine L. English
Date: 11/15/13

24 Wilson Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $261,500
Buyer: Nina R. Sossen
Seller: Seamus A. Decker
Date: 11/25/13

CHESTERFIELD

242 Bryant St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Lauren R. Guilmette
Seller: Joseph L. Guerin
Date: 11/26/13

CUMMINGTON

58 Nash Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Edward S. Konieczny
Seller: David F. Robb
Date: 11/15/13

EASTHAMPTON

10 Bryan Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Koni F. Denham
Seller: James P. Wales
Date: 11/21/13

301 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: F&G LLC
Seller: Harriet R. Kulig
Date: 11/22/13

62 Garfield Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Benjamin M. Nardone
Seller: Beth A. Castaldo
Date: 11/21/13

10 Grove St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Michael C. McGuire
Seller: Demarais FT
Date: 11/25/13

193 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: John Morin
Seller: 94 Industrial Drive LLC
Date: 11/27/13

9 Oakdale Place
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Juan S. Suarez
Seller: Golash, Celia, (Estate)
Date: 11/26/13

27 Pine Hill Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Wendy Lass-Luzi
Seller: Alexander D. Prado
Date: 11/26/13

9 Stanley St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Katie M. Houle
Seller: Maureen S. Parker
Date: 11/22/13

GOSHEN

102 Bissell Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Colleen E. Culver
Seller: Dana M. Culver
Date: 11/19/13

65 Pond Hill Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jonathan R. Bean
Seller: Dylan G. Mailloux
Date: 11/25/13

48 Sears Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Melanie A. Kourbage
Seller: Elizabeth L. Labier
Date: 11/18/13

GRANBY

374 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Alice Vlasanko
Seller: Susan P. Perrailt
Date: 11/13/13

East St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.
Seller: James A. Manewich
Date: 11/25/13

101 Easton St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Dianna L. Richard
Seller: Sanford Grenier
Date: 11/25/13

7 Grandview Ave.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Kevin M. Kane
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/18/13

South St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Audrey G. Walker
Seller: George N Galusha
Date: 11/13/13

HADLEY

55 Chmura Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Robert C. Pelis
Seller: Steinberger, Marion M., (Estate)
Date: 11/26/13

55 Huntington Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Shasta Kielbasa
Seller: Eileen F. Monopoli
Date: 11/29/13

127 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Toni L. Morelli
Seller: Dirck L. Dimock
Date: 11/15/13

3 Sylvia Hts.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Andre R. Laflamme
Seller: Valley Buillding Co. Inc.
Date: 11/27/13

1 Szafir Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: James T. Henderson
Seller: Buckowski, Florence C., (Estate)
Date: 11/22/13

26 West St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: John P. Regish
Seller: Robert J. McQueston
Date: 11/22/13

HATFIELD

West St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Southland Log Homes Realty
Seller: Richard F. Thayer
Date: 11/19/13

HUNTINGTON

3 Allen Coit Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Donna Perzan
Seller: Dominic C. Nett
Date: 11/15/13

5 Allen Coit Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Donna Perzan
Seller: Dominic C. Nett
Date: 11/15/13

21 Old Chester Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Gary L. Hamel
Seller: Gergory R. Nuttelman
Date: 11/26/13

27 Searle Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $131,969
Buyer: David E. Collette
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 11/26/13

61 Searle Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $208,900
Buyer: Kyle Colby
Seller: Joseph G. Bergeron
Date: 11/15/13

NORTHAMPTON

25 Arlington St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Mark Wineburg
Seller: Jodi M. Kirchner LT
Date: 11/25/13

43 Beattie Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: William Z. Forray
Seller: Peter F. Kistenmacher
Date: 11/18/13

62 Bliss St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Scott D. Bertrand
Seller: Joyce C. Bertrand
Date: 11/15/13

76 Bliss St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Evan T. Vaine
Seller: Jean M. Bayer
Date: 11/15/13

19 Columbus Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Peter A. Pacosa
Seller: Edward S. Zuchowski
Date: 11/22/13

13 Dimock St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Diane M. Drohan
Seller: Georgiann Kristek LT
Date: 11/27/13

37 Drewsen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $230,500
Buyer: Robert Baird
Seller: George B. Scheurer
Date: 11/26/13

111 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $487,850
Buyer: Harris B. Shaffer
Seller: Hampshire Property Management Group

17 Hickory Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Tuperkeizsis
Seller: Gallup, Shirley M., (Estate)
Date: 11/12/13

106 Industrial Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Hytech Park Properties LLC
Seller: William T. Baird
Date: 11/22/13

194 Jackson St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Dustin A. Cote
Seller: Grimes, Joanna A., (Estate)
Date: 11/22/13

51 Jackson St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $264,000
Buyer: Caren Bendror
Seller: Emily K. Bowden
Date: 11/18/13

51 Phillips Place
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Linda S. Muerle
Seller: June Turcotte
Date: 11/18/13

125 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $2,555,000
Buyer: Harmonic Rock Realty LLC
Seller: Union Square RT
Date: 11/14/13

58 South Park Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $189,800
Buyer: W&N Summer LLC
Seller: Packard, Helen B., (Estate)
Date: 11/12/13

PELHAM

136 Amherst Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Amanda L. Huhmann
Seller: Flavio Risech
Date: 11/15/13

SOUTH HADLEY

84 Alvord St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Buyer: John B. Hughes
Seller: Maria R. Antonio
Date: 11/15/13

478 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Gerald Lorenz
Seller: Jefferey Bessette
Date: 11/22/13

37 Ashton Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: William D. Williams
Seller: John R. Hyde
Date: 11/15/13

139 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Martin M. Mendes
Seller: Richard S. Maldanis
Date: 11/25/13

64 Charon Terrace
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: James W. Graves
Seller: Constance F. Odell
Date: 11/15/13

27 Foch Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Aslin
Seller: Investment Enterprise LLC
Date: 11/27/13

495 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Brian Trompke
Seller: Arthur R. Lemire
Date: 11/19/13

475 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $189,400
Buyer: James D. Bothwell
Seller: Edward P. Dechellis
Date: 11/22/13

168 Lathrop St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Adam K. Boyer
Seller: Ciesluk, Paul J., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/13

110 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $635,137
Buyer: Bank New York
Seller: Daniel A. Champagne
Date: 11/18/13

351 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Property Management LLC
Seller: Bruce T. Carl
Date: 11/20/13

27 Silver St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $382,000
Buyer: Todd F. Bachelder
Seller: Jeanne P. Brownlow
Date: 11/15/13

36 Westbrook Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $198,500
Buyer: Jeffrey Chmiel
Seller: Eleanor A. Perreault
Date: 11/27/13

SOUTHAMPTON

38 Cottage Ave.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Carl E. Scheinost
Seller: Gregory H. Boisvere
Date: 11/27/13

14 Crooked Ledge Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joseph W. Marcoux
Seller: Mickey J. Willis
Date: 11/22/13

100 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Jim Hornickel
Seller: Michael J. Kent
Date: 11/22/13

5 Katelyn Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Anthony F. Gleason
Seller: Ronald J. Gordon
Date: 11/26/13

WARE

712 Belchertown Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Guy P. Savoie
Seller: Gary S. Pfisterer
Date: 11/18/13

16 Elm St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Robert S. Shurtleff
Seller: Frederick A. Lotuff
Date: 11/26/13

WESTHAMPTON

21 Pine Island Lake
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Nancy Bals
Seller: Joseph J. O’Hare
Date: 11/27/13

WILLIAMSBURG

84 Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Joan Muellner
Seller: Michael S. Gove
Date: 11/15/13

Events

Editor’s Note: Again this year, five individuals have been chosen to score the nominations submitted for the 40 Under Forty Class of 2014. In keeping with past practice, BusinessWest has chosen two former winners to be part of this panel — in this case, members of the classes of 2011 and 2013. In addition, BusinessWest has sought out individuals with experience in business and entrepreneurship. This year’s judges are:

Jim Barrett

Jim Barrett

• Jim Barrett, CPA/PFS, MST is the managing partner of Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., the largest regionally based public-accounting firm in Western Mass. He is a certified public accountant licensed in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and holds a personal financial specialist credential. In the taxation practice, he works with privately held commercial companies, partnerships, and individuals. In addition to tax compliance, his engagement experience includes consulting on accounting periods and methods, review of corporate tax provisions, computation of corporate earnings and profits, and mergers and acquisitions. In the financial-planning and wealth-management services practice, Barrett assists clients in integrating and managing issues concerning life and wealth. These issues include pre- and post-retirement planning, estate- and gift-tax planning, income-tax planning, investment planning, education planning, insurance planning, and charitable giving.
Barrett joined the firm in 2002. Prior to that, he was a senior tax manager for KPMG, LLP. He is a member of the AICPA and the MSCPA, and serves as treasurer of the Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as the treasurer of the Young Presidents Organization of Western New England.

Shonda Pettiford

Shonda Pettiford

• Shonda Pettiford, assistant director of Communications for Commonwealth Honors College, a program for academically talented students at UMass Amherst. A member of the 40 Under Forty class of 2013, Pettiford builds the brand of the Honors College through strategic communications, marketing, social media, website development, and event publicity. Before entering that role, she helped direct community-service learning at the university.
For more than 12 years, Pettiford has been involved with the Women’s Fund of Western Mass. She has channeled her passion for advancing social justice for women into myriad volunteer roles within the organization, from co-chairing the grant-making committee to participating on the development, governance, and executive committees, to serving as president of the board of directors.



Peter Rosskothen

Peter Rosskothen

• Peter Rosskothen, co-owner and president of the Log Cabin & Delaney House. A veteran of the hospitality industry, Rosskothen has also been a serial entrepreneur, and a former BusinessWest Top Entrepreneur. After working as restaurant manager at the Holiday Inn in Holyoke, food and beverage manager at Twin Hills Country Club, and director of food services at Classic Foods in Greenfield, he became owner and president of three Boston Chicken locations in Western Mass. and manager of 65 across the Northeast. Later, he was a partner in a venture to convert the former Log Cabin restaurant into a banquet and meeting facility, and, several years later, acquired the Delaney House restaurant. His most recent venture has been the opening of two Mt. Joe coffee shops.
Rosskothen has been involved with the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, the Holyoke Rotary Club, the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Holyoke Health Center, the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and other organizations.

Meghan Rothschild

Meghan Rothschild

• Meghan Rothschild, co-owner of the marketing and public relations firm chikmedia. A member of the 40 Under Forty class of 2011, she and chikmedia partner Emily Gaylord put an emphasis on female-run organizations and women business owners, and offer full design, strategic marketing planning, and creative PR. Current clients include SkinCatering and Papa John’s Pizza.
For the past seven years, Rothschild has worked closely with the Melanoma Foundation of New England as a board member and spokesperson. She is a 10-year melanoma survivor who started her own awareness organization, Surviving Skin, seven years ago. She advocates for skin health through interviews with media across the New England region and by appearing as a speaker at various engagements across the state. She also acts as host of Skin Talk, a local talk show focused on melanoma awareness and skin care. She was recently the keynote speaker at the Melanoma Foundation’s Shades of Hope event in Boston.

Jim Sheils

Jim Sheils

• Jim Sheils, partner at the Springfield-based law firm Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., where he concentrates his practice in commercial finance, representing banks and private lenders in the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. He also represents clients in the acquisition or sale of businesses. Currently the town moderator of East Longmeadow, he has also served on a number of charitable and civic boards, including the Dunbar Community Center, the Mass. Moderators Assoc., Goodwill Industries of the Pioneer Valley, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Sheils has also been a member of the Mass. Advisory Council for the U.S. Small Business Administration, a director of the Smaller Business Assoc. of New England (SBANE), and a member of the Commercial Law League of America. He was the first program director at WICN Radio, Worcester’s NPR radio station. Sheils is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, where he received the Presidential Service Award, and Boston College Law School.

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Allen, Gerald S.
Allen, Nancy L.
723 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Askew, Deborah
37 Bevier St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/25/13

Banas, Stephen K.
501 Royalston Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Bardwell, James W.
12 Hebert Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Bernardes, Jordan E.
334 Woodland Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/25/13

Bothwell, Dianne Lynn
7 Quarry St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Boudreau, George V.
Boudreau, Diane E.
84 Anderson Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/21/13

Caron, Peter E.
Caron, Jayne M.
31 Old Post Road, Apt. B
Worthington, MA 01098
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Cruz, Yamil Ivette
131 Gardens Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Deluca, Kevin A.
Deluca, Christie
64 Brickyard Ext.
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/25/13

Desrosiers, Anthony R.
30 Langdon St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/27/13

Eddy, Joseph James
Eddy, Eve Marie
a/k/a Hovermale, Eve Marie
27 Walnut St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Fitch, Gail S.
105 Vincent Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Garttmeyer, Cynthia M.
a/k/a Naputi, Cynthia M.
609 College Highway
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/27/13

Giraldi, Arlene E.
a/k/a Pena, Arlenne G.
93 Crescent Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013-1936
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Gustafson, Dana C.
Gustafson, Amybeth
a/k/a Koetsch, Amybeth
40 Signal Hill Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/25/13

Hanson, Douglas I.
Hanson, Beverly A.
P.O. Box 548
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Houghtlin, Gary L.
Houghtlin, Kathryn A.
175 Church St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Lane-Zucker, Laurie John
27 North Undermountain Road
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/26/13

Lewicki, Jane A.
28 Stewart St.
P.O. Box 342
Bondsville, MA 01009
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Lopez, Joel
a/k/a Lopez Mendez, Joel
2994 Main St., Apt. 1
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/27/13

Maldonado, Sheila M.
22 Charles St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/21/13

Martinez, Lynette
15 Girard Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Matthews, Harold C.
340 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

McPherson, Kimberly M.
a/k/a Bissaillon, Kimberly
13 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Merriam, April
25 Cobblestone Cove
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Meserve, Douglas D.
135 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020-1620
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Moreland, Brittany A.
103 Birchwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/26/13

Nastanski, Lillian M.
98 Redlands St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/21/13

O’Connor, Lawrence G.
10 Lakeshore Dr., Apt. 2
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/21/13

Oksuz, Pasa
134 College Highway
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/21/13

Paquin, Lester W.
120 Pleasant St.
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/19/13

Provost, Gerard A.
41 Dressel Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Roach, Garret J.
PO Box 301
Bondsville, MA 01009
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/16/13

Rodriguez, Juan R.
79 Humbert St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/19/13

Rodriguez, Milagros A
a/k/a Pimentel, Milagros
47 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Rollins, Sandra T.
100 Clark St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Sexton, Eileen Marie
29 Perkins St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Silva, David H.
9 Bradlind Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Silva, Edith A.
158 East River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Silva, Thomas D.
9 Bradlind Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Smith, Willie J.
123 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/18/13

Strange, Tara Anne
229 Green Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/25/13

Stribley, Lynnette K.
76 Bay Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/26/13

The Kung Fu Academy
Ostrander, Mark A.
36 Osborne Terrace
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Thompson, Richard Paul
Thompson, Christine B.
9 Advent Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/26/13

Tinney, Donald R.
103 Plunkett St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/13

Tomasine, Santo J.
Tomasine, Deborah Y.
a/k/a Tomasine, Savannah
186 Main St.
Haydenville, MA 01039
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Turn Key Marketing
Cummings, Robert D.
164 Arnold Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7

Walton, Nancy
52 Boucher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/13

Whitney, Beverley R
186 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/26/13

Company Notebook Departments

Big Y Opens First Fuel and Convenience Location
SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Express Fuel and Convenience opened earlier this month at 320 Housatonic St. in Lee on Route 20, off exit 2 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. Big Y Express represents a new venture and a partnership between two long-established Western Mass. family-owned businesses, Big Y Foods Inc. and F.L. Roberts & Co. Big Y Express is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is also just several hundred feet away from Big Y’s World Class Market in Lee. The inaugural 2,000-square-foot Lee location is the result of an alliance that incorporates what Big Y officials are calling “new and unique retail design and merchandising trends.” It features the traditional F.L. Roberts product mix along with many Big Y proprietary private-brand products including grocery, snacks, and freshly made, ready-to-eat offerings such as sandwiches, hot dogs, fountain soda, freshly brewed coffee, pastries, and fresh fruit. In addition, F.L. Roberts Rewards Plus loyalty cards along with Big Y Silver Savings Club cards can be used for more discounts at the pump and on items inside the store. And Big Y’s Express Rewards silver and gold coins can be redeemed for cents off per gallon at the pump. There are eight pump positions, with regular, unleaded, premium, and diesel fuels supplied by F.L. Roberts, which is the operating partner and responsible for the 10 Big Y Express employees. Many supermarket chains throughout the country own and operate gas and convenience stores in addition to supermarket formats. Coborns in Minnesota, Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh, and KVAT in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee all operate both formats, as does Stop & Shop locally. With its alliance with F.L. Roberts, Big Y combines the expertise of the largest independent petroleum marketer in Western Mass. with the largest independently owned and operated supermarket chain in New England. According to Big Y President and COO Charles D’Amour, “we get the best of both worlds with our Big Y Express partnership. On the one hand, we are learning about gas stations and convenience stores. On the other, we are providing our expertise in food coupled with our strong private brand to enhance the experience for our customers.” Steve Roberts, F.L. Roberts’s president, expressed the same enthusiasm for this partnership. “Two well-established companies have combined their expertise to help each other grow to better service our customers and communities.” Headquartered in Springfield, Big Y boasts 61 locations throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts and more than 10,000 employees. The fourth-generation, family-owned F.L. Roberts was founded in 1920 by Frank Roberts as an automotive-parts and tire business in the South End of Springfield. Today, the company has expanded to include other automotive specialties at nearly 60 sites with 500 employees in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The company’s network of automotive-service companies includes 26 convenience stores, 20 car washes, nine Jiffy Lubes, two truck-fueling centers, and the Whately Diner.

AIC Ranks High in Teacher Education
SPRINGFIELD — American International College has been ranked sixth among colleges in Massachusetts for providing teacher education. The rankings were published recently by the College Database, a not-for-profit organization that provides free information about education options both nationally and locally to students, parents, and other interested parties. According to the College Database list, with nearly 500 education graduates last year, AIC ranked higher in teacher education than any other Western Mass. college. “The ranking acknowledges our hard work and commitment to preparing highly effective classroom teachers, reading specialists, and school leaders,” said Esta Sobey, associate dean of Education at the college. AIC offers education programs in several areas, including early childhood, elementary, moderate disabilities, and 10 subjects on the middle/secondary level, leading to initial teacher licensure in those areas. There is also a new five-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree in an arts and science area with a minor in education after four years, and a master of Education degree with licensure after the fifth year. Sobey said the college’s education programs have expanded in recent years, not only on the AIC campus, but across the state. “We have grown to 12 sites across the Commonwealth, and in 2012-13, AIC prepared and endorsed 498 candidates for various initial and professional licenses,” she said. AIC Provost Dr. Todd Fritch said the ranking is further proof of the college’s commitment to education. “Our education programs strengthen the mission of the college by expanding opportunities for students to transform their lives and achieve personal and professional fulfillment through rewarding careers as education professionals,” he noted. “The programs offer students a mix of scholarship and practicality, as most of our professors are employed in the field, allowing them to offer a balance between theory and real-world application.” AIC external campus program sites include Buzzards Bay, East Bridgewater, Fall River/New Bedford, Greenfield, Lawrence, Marlborough, Medford, Pittsfield, Wakefield, Weymouth, and Worcester.

Senior Housing Project at Ludlow Mills Wins $300,000 Tax Credit
LUDLOW — The Westmass Area Development Corp. (Westmass) announced recently that the senior independent living project at Ludlow Mills has received an important state historic tax credit award of $300,000 from Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin. The award was critical to the project, allowing developer WinnDevelopment to move forward with financing its senior-living project at the mills. The senior-housing project will preserve historic mill building 10, in which 80 units of senior housing will be developed. The estimated total project cost is $24.5 million. Pending complete financing, Westmass is expected to convey Mill10 and the surrounding three acres to WinnDevelopment during the fourth quarter of 2014. Occupancy is expected to start about a year from now.

Opinion
A Stern Challenge for the Region

If it seems like you’re spending more of your time reading about people retiring or going to functions where the guest of honor leaves the room with a rocking chair, gold watch, or gift certificate for a cruise, it is most definitely not your imagination.
Instead, it’s more evidence of a demographic phenomenon, one that reflects the size and influence of the Baby Boom generation.
Indeed, all that talk years ago about how this generation was going to start retiring — and in big numbers — is no longer talk. It’s reality.
And while this inevitable consequence of the passage of time is good for the people who handle IRAs, make watches and rocking chairs, host retirement parties, and operate cruise lines, it poses a huge challenge for this region as a whole and specific business sectors as well.
In just the past 12 to 18 months, this region has seen the retirement of several chamber of commerce directors, nonprofit managers (Gary McCarthy at the Springfield Boys & Girls Club is just one example), economic-development leaders (Bill Ward at the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County tops that list), and healthcare executives — Carol Katz, longtime director of Loomis Communities, retired in 2012, Holyoke Medical Center CEO Hank Porten stepped down earlier this year, and  Mark Tolosky, president and CEO of Baystate Health; Peter Straley, president and CEO of Health New England; and Craig Melin, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, will leave their jobs in 2014.
And there have been countless people whose exploits didn’t make the pages of BusinessWest who have also moved on to that proverbial next stage of their lives, with tens of thousands more to do so in the next several years.
The challenge is obvious: these people must be replaced.
And while it would seem that this wouldn’t be a problem with a statewide unemployment rate of roughly 7% and a number closer to 10% in major urban areas in this region, the reality is that many of those who are unemployed simply do not have the skills to move into these positions.
This is especially true in sectors such as precision manufacturing and healthcare, where employers have openings — hundreds and perhaps thousands of them — that they cannot fill because of that skills gap that we keep reading about. Like those aforementioned retirements, that gap is real, not your imagination.
And while there will always be people who can step into the shoes of leaders like Ward, Lee, Tolosky, Melin, and Straley, it is fair to ask if those who will occupy their offices and those of executives across the region possess the leadership skills that enabled their successors to be so successful.
So, moving forward, this region has to continue its efforts to address this demographic challenge — which is no longer looming, but actually here — and accelerate and intensify them.
Programs like Leadership Pioneer Valley, created at the encouragement of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission with all these retirements in mind, must continue to educate area young people about this region and its strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, and prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Meanwhile, people like David Cruise, who will have the unenviable task of succeeding Ward at the REB, must work in collaboration with local employers, area colleges and universities, and other economic-development agencies to close that skills gap. If they don’t, employers will be increasingly challenged to find that most important ingredient in any business success story: talent.
In reality, it is mostly the very oldest of the Baby Boomers (and those who belong to the generation before it) who are retiring these days. The huge bubble is still to come, and it may be delayed somewhat by the need for many members of this generation to work longer to secure a comfortable retirement.
But while there is still time to address this challenge, that time is running out.

Health Care Sections
Casino Buzz Puts Spotlight on Gambling Addiction

GambleAddictArtThe casino age may be underway in Massachusetts, causing some to worry that large, flashy gaming resorts will introduce the scourge of gambling addiction in the Bay State.
Too late, says Dr. Baxter Chandler. Compulsive gambling is already a widespread problem.
“Massachusetts has one of the most successful lotteries in the world, and we have keno, and two large casinos within easy driving distance,” said Chandler, director of Behavioral Health Services at Holyoke Medical Center (HMC). “So problem gambling is not a new problem, but it is more recognized now as an issue.
“It’s a really tricky thing,” he continued. “A lot of people out there do scratch tickets or keno, and they don’t have the finances to do that. It’s easy to say, ‘Uncle John? All he does is scratch tickets.’ But if Uncle John is spending $400 a week on scratch tickets and only gets $600 in Social Security, then it’s a problem.”
But with the prospect of a casino resort in Springfield’s South End — the state’s Gaming Commission will choose one Western Mass. site for a casino early in 2014, and the $800 million MGM Springfield proposal is the only one on the table after voters in West Springfield and Palmer rejected casino bids — the issue of gambling addiction is certainly taking on a higher profile.
It’s timely, then, that the entire outpatient behavioral-health staffs of HMC and one of its affiliates, River Valley Counseling Center, recently earned the MA-PGS (Massachusetts Problem Gambling Specialist) certificate administered by the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling (MCCG).

Dr. Baxter Chandler

Dr. Baxter Chandler says health professionals typically don’t consider gambling a vice in itself, but are concerned about its effect on people’s lives when it spins out of control.

“Sometimes we get calls from health professionals asking us what we can do,” said Sasha Russell, program specialist in communications for the MCCG. “We can offer training to get them certified.”
The agency has also ramped up its efforts to get more behavioral-health professionals into the certificate program through a ‘training institute’ being set up in cities around the Bay State; Springfield will host one of those eight-week programs in April. “That will be done to get more people in Western Mass. on track toward getting the Massachusetts Problem Gambling special certificate.”
At the heart of the council’s efforts is the reality that, although there are some similarities between compulsive gambling and other addictions, such as alcoholism and substance abuse, problem gamblers have their own set of problems.
“Walking into this, a lot of us thought we could apply everything we know about addictions to problem gambling — how different can it be?” Chandler said. “And there are a lot of similarities, that’s true, but there are things that can set it apart.”
That’s why Holyoke Medical Center and River Valley Counseling have been working to expand and enhance their addiction-treatment services to cater specifically to this clientele.
“If someone comes in who’s never had a problem with alcohol or drugs,” Chandler said, “and you put them into a group where they’re the only gambler and everyone else is using substances, it can work, but a lot of times they don’t feel connected — they think, ‘I don’t do cocaine; I do keno.’ A lot of times, relatability is an issue. One thing we’re working hard to do is meeting people where they’re at.”

Risk and Reward
Still, Chandler and Russell were quick to clarify that gambling addiction is no mere loss of control, but has physiological similarities to substance abuse.
“Many times, people, depending on their background, feel like it’s a control thing; they think they just don’t know how to control themselves,” Russell said. “But people don’t realize the effect that gambling has. They don’t realize that, when you gamble, it releases the same dopamine in the brain as if you did drugs — as if you did cocaine.”
Although a gambler isn’t actually putting a chemical into his body, Chandler added, “according to the brain studies they’ve done on compulsive gamblers, similar areas of the brain light up, as if someone is using a substance.”
Science author and blogger Steven Kotler breaks down some of this research in an article titled “High as Hell: the Evolution of Our Gambling Addiction.”
“Scientists long believed that dopamine was pure pleasure,” he notes. “It was thought of as the reward portion of the body’s need/reward system. You wanted something fundamental to survival — like a next meal or a sexual partner — and when you got that thing, the brain released a little dopamine, so the next time you were faced with a similar situation (like being hungry), you would remember that feeding yourself felt damn good.”
But Kotler cites the work of several scientists, including Greg Berns, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University, suggesting that dopamine is actually released not when one receives the desired reward, but when one takes the risk to do the thing that leads to the reward.
In other words, a gambler doesn’t have to win at slots to get the dopamine ‘hit’; simply pulling the lever will do that. “And associating risk with reward is a gambler’s bread and butter,” Kotler writes.
The initial consequences of compulsive gambling are different than substance abuse, in that they’re largely financial, Chandler said. But physical and psychological effects tend to follow — as well as a proclivity toward other addictions.
“Problem gamblers are prone to having suicidal thoughts; their suicide rates are higher,” he explained. “If they feel trapped, that can trigger a higher rate of substance abuse. We fully expect to be treating a lot of people with dual diagnoses here, people with depression, anxiety, co-morbid anxiety disorders, all associated with problem gambling.
“For some people, once they get their problem gambling under control, maybe the other symptoms go away. For others, there may be biological depression. Either way, we focus on treating it all at once, not compartmentalizing it.”
According to the MCCG, between 2% and 3% of the population has experienced ‘disordered gambling’ in their lifetimes, a loose umbrella term for gambling behaviors that disrupt an individual’s family, social, or vocational life in some way. By that estimation, up to 185,000 Massachusetts residents have likely engaged in disordered gambling at some point.
“When they come in for treatment, you’re asking them to abstain from gambling. For most people, it’s not about cutting back, but ceasing gambling, similar to someone coming in for alcohol,” Chandler said. “We support groups like Gamblers Anonymous and encourage a lot of people to check that out.”
HMC offers a three-week partial-hospitalization program for more serious cases, typically those involving dual diagnoses, such as severe depression or other addictions. Chandler said the hospital works closely with River Valley to match each patient with the appropriate type of care, from group counseling to individualized work.
“For many years, gambling has been sort of lumped in with all addiction,” Chandler said. “When someone comes in for treatment, we’ve always asked, ‘do you have an issue with gambling?’ Now we’re paying even more attention, making sure we’re asking the right questions.”

Upping the Ante
Gambling addiction accounts for some $7 billion a year in added healthcare and criminal-justice costs, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, and a significant portion of that has nothing to do with casinos. But the issue certainly has taken on a higher profile in Massachusetts over the past two years.
“Casino gambling has been legalized, so now it’s much more in the forefront in Western Mass.,” Chandler said of his dealings with the MCCG. “For many years, we had contact with them. But now that Western Mass. is looking to get a casino, everyone is sort of scrambling to respond to that.”
Russell described the council as largely a referral service. “When people call our helpline, we try to connect them to an outpatient service in their area or a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. We have packets of information we send to support them and get them on a path to recovery.”
The MCCG also hosts an annual weekend retreat for people in recovery, offering various workshops on how to stay on track. And, of course, it has ramped up efforts to bring behavioral-health professionals into its certificate program.
“One thing I’m really proud of is, prior to us doing this training, there were probably three or four people with this certificate in Western Mass.,” Chandler said. “We were able to train nearly 25 people.”
He was quick to note that gambling in itself is not necessarily a vice. “One thing I respect about the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling is that they’re neutral on the issue of gambling itself. And as treatment providers, we’re not pro or against gambling, but we’re concerned with the impact it has on people’s lives.
“The same is true of alcohol,” he continued. “Alcohol by itself is not an evil thing. But if it impairs a person’s life, there are consequences. We can say the same about food, exercise, anything.”
Russell agreed. “It’s just like with any sort of drug or alcohol,” she said. “Some people can take a drug or drink alcohol and be fine and cut themselves off. Same thing with gambling — some people do it just to be social, and it’s not a cause for concern.”
One challenge is for people to recognize they have a problem, Chandler said, and the first signs are always the financial repercussions.
“If someone has to borrow money or obtain money in a way that gets them into trouble, just to cover gambling debts or continue gambling, that’s a big sign,” he told BusinessWest. “If people lie about their gambling, where they were, or how much they won or lost, withholding that information from people, that’s a sign, too. In a lot of cases, other people recognize the problem long before the individual does.”
Theoretically, Western Mass. could see a rise in problem gambling from locals who join the ranks of casino addicts — typically, 10% of a casino’s patrons account for 90% of its revenue — but Russell stressed that the lure of gambling is as close as the nearest convenience store, and has been for decades.
“A lot of people don’t think about it because gambling is such a big part of society in general,” she said. “It’s even in the everyday vernacular — like when people say, ‘wanna make a bet?’ So they don’t realize how many people can’t control themselves. They just don’t understand it.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Departments Incorporations

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

EAST LONGMEADOW

Verendus Holdings Inc., 444A North Main St., Suite 234, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Dominic Kirchner II, same. Management and consulting.

FEEDING HILLS

Rick’s Pools Inc., 507 Springfield St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Robert Fleming, 418 Wilbraham Street, Palmer, MA 01069. Swimming pool maintenance and repair.

The JW Academy High School Inc., 404 Barry St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Trina Linette Davis, same. Charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes.

NORTHAMPTON

Citysprout Inc., 136 West St., Suite 102B, Northampton, MA 01060. William J. Trienens, same. Connecting consumers through web and mobile social commerce platforms.

Florence Medical Uniforms Inc., 64 Gothic Suite 8, Northampton, MA 01060. Christopher Gentili MR, 51 Edencrest Dr., Cranston, CT 02920. Retail sales of medical uniforms and accessories.

PITTSFIELD

Financial Accounting Services Inc., One Pheasant Way, Pittsfield, MA 01201-9123. T. Neal Burton II, same. Accounting service for small businesses.

SOUTHAMPTON

Classic Burgers Inc., 114 White Loaf Road, Southampton, MA 01077. Barry G. Parker, same. Restaurant.

Laurin Builders Inc., 317 College Highway, Southampton, MA 01073. Ronald D. Laurin, same. Construction.

SPRINGFIELD

Conde Tech Systems Inc., 58 Edwards St., Suite #402, Springfield, MA 01105. C. Whitaker Battle, same. SIP manufacturing.

Mi Pais Restaurant Corporation, 344 Bay St., Springfield, MA 01109. Juan Carmelo Rodriguez, 95 Beaumont St., Springfield, MA 01109. Restaurant and take out.

Springfield Bone & Joint, P.C., 299 Carew St., Suite 305, Springfield, MA 01104. Michael J. Craig, same. Professional services specializing in orthopedics surgery and medicine.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

West Springfield Veterans Council Inc., 63 Morton St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Jose Irizarry, 182 Greystone Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. To promote the welfare of honorably discharged members of the US military services.

WESTFIELD

Westfield-West Springfield Lodge of Elks Inc. #1481, 56 Franklin St., Westfield, MA 01085. Christopher J. Chistolini, 48 Colony Circle, Westfield, MA 01085. Non-profit fraternal organization.

Opinion
Some Things We’d Like to See in 2014

It’s time to say goodbye to 2013.
It was an interesting year in many respects — especially with regard to the casino-gambling picture, which changed in ways that probably couldn’t have been imagined just one year ago when there were four projects still in the running for the Western Mass. license — but one that was not very remarkable from a business standpoint.
Indeed, with the exception of a soaring stock market, which had climbed nearly 25% for the year at press time, this was a year of relative stagnancy, in terms of everything from employment to the overall economy, although there were signs of life toward the end of the year (more on that in a bit).
So, without further ado, it’s time to look ahead and identify some of the things we’d like to see happen in 2014. If all or even most of them come to fruition, it could be quite a year.
• Game On. Let’s start with the casino. As the voters in West Springfield, Palmer, East Boston, and other communities voted thumbs down to casino plans for their communities — dramatically changing and diminishing the competition for coveted licenses as they did so — many began to question whether this state really wants or needs such facilities.
Pollsters would tell you that the numbers show that the majority of state residents still support casinos, but don’t want one in their community. Springfield, in fact, was one of the few communities that said yes, and we hope that cranes start to appear in the city’s South End by the end of next year and that MGM Springfield becomes reality a few years later.
As we’ve said many times, a casino will not, by itself, change the city’s fortunes. But it can become part of the process of bringing new vitality, new jobs, and a new attitude about Springfield. Let’s hope it happens.
• It’s About Time. For close to half a decade now, people have been saying, “this could be the year the economy finally breaks out of its funk.” Well, people are saying it again, and this time, there’s more reason to believe them. Indeed, there are some actual signs — falling unemployment and a rise in state GDP among them — that indicate better times ahead.
We hope those reading these tea leaves are on the money — literally and figuratively — because there hasn’t been much of a recovery in this region, and businesses that have fought through this time deserve some sustained momentum and a year when the books become truly good reading.
• Class Act. Several months ago, the talk about whether UMass would create a downtown Springfield ‘satellite facility’ (the school eschews the word ‘campus’) officially shifted to when it would. School officials announced that UMass Springfield would soon start to take shape on the second floor of Tower Square. As the new year begins, we hope that this news alone starts to create momentum in a downtown that sorely needs a spark, and that, as 2014 unfolds, the construction work and then the facility itself will become a catalyst for more retail development and other forms of progress in the city’s central business district.
• Getting Things Started. Lastly, we hope to see work in 2014 in the broad realm of promoting entrepreneurship and getting new ventures off the ground or to that proverbial next level. There are several programs in place that are addressing this challenge — from Valley Venture Mentors to the Grinspoon Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative to the Business Growth Center at the Technology Park at STCC (see story on age 45)— and this work needs to continue and expand in 2014 and the years to follow.
As we’ve said on many occasions, while it is still possible that a major employer will decide to make Western Mass. home and thus create hundreds or perhaps thousands of new jobs, the more likely scenario is that growth in this region will come organically, through new startups that mature and eventually add to their payrolls.
There are many challenges facing this region, but perhaps the biggest is creating more fuel for the economy. Programs that encourage entrepreneurship and help young businesses grow are a vital part of that equation.

Departments Picture This

Send photos with a caption and contact information to:  ‘Picture This’ c/o BusinessWest Magazine, 1441 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103 or to [email protected]

Gingerbread and Business Cards
YPS-1YPS-5YPS-7YPS-3The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) celebrated the holiday season amid the “Magic of Gingerbread” exhibit, which runs until Dec. 31 at the Springfield Museum of Science, for its monthly YPS Third Thursday networking event. Members and friends traded business cards surrounded by decorated holiday trees and dozens of fanciful gingerbread houses created by local bakeries, schools, youth groups, individuals, and families for the annual Gingerbread House Competition. Left to right from top: from left, Sean Wandrei, lecturer at UMass Amherst, Jeremy Leap, vice president of Commercial Lending at Country Bank, and Jeremy Hollins, operations and asset manager for Environmental Integrity; from left, Ryan McCollum, owner, RMC Strategies, Ed Nunez, assistant vice president, Business Development, Freedom Credit Union, and Jean Canosa Albano, manager of Public Services for the Springfield City Library; Mariga Ward, coordinator of ticket operations, and Eric Levine, coordinator of Business Development for Springfield Falcons Hockey; Ashley Clark, left, commercial service officer, Westfield Bank, and Kaitlin Casey, occupational therapist, Hartford Healthcare.

Party in PJs
SquareOneSanta Claus and Adam Quenneville, owner of Quenneville Roofing, Siding & Windows (seen here just left of Santa), both recently participated in this year’s Christmas pajama party at Square One’s King Street Children’s Center. Claus, Quenneville, and teacher Kristine Gorman (second from right) distributed 200 new toys and games, ensuring a happy holiday for each child.






Weighing In
Fat-HeadThe Springfield College Center for Wellness Education and Research (CWER) recently hosted a guest appearance by Tom Naughton, writer and director of Fat Head, the popular comedy-documentary about diet and health. The lecture, titled “Diet, Health, and the Wisdom of Crowds,” explored the growing notion that social networking is a key factor in healthcare, particularly with respect to lifestyle-related issues. Naughton, also an editor and writer for Family Safety and Health magazine, contributing writer for the Encyclopedia Britannica Health and Medical Annual, and a freelance humor writer for essays published in Newsweek and Omni, takes complex information about diet and nutrition and makes it both amusing and understandable to his audience. From left, Sara Gregory, assistant director, and Richard Wood, director, both of CWER, and Naughton.

Holiday Party
WTCC-xmasPartyNearly 100 area children attended the annual Children’s Holiday party on Dec. 14, hosted by WTCC 90.7 FM, the community radio station of Springfield Technical Community College. DJ Phillip Anthony Borras again volunteered as Santa Claus. Donations for the party, for toys and food, came from WTCC station members and area businesses. Barnes & Noble donated 100 books for the children.
(Photo by Christopher Winslow)

Health Care Sections
As E-cigarette Sales Escalate, So Too Does the Controversy

Lynn Ostrowski

Unlike the well-documented research into cigarettes, Lynn Ostrowski says, no one really knows what’s in e-cigs or what the long-term risks are.

His name was ‘The Marlboro Man.’
From 1954 to 1999, his masculine image became perhaps the most influential branding vehicle of the century. The campaign’s creator, Leo Burnett Worldwide (the creative firm that also gave the world the Jolly Green Giant and Tony the Tiger), won numerous accolades for imagery credited with popularizing filtered cigarettes, turning Marlboro into the largest-selling brand of cigarettes in the world, and Philip Morris USA into the largest tobacco company in the world.
But later, those same images became tinged with irony — and tragedy — as the health concerns related to smoking began to multiply a half-century ago. In 1957, then-Surgeon General Leroy Burney declared the official position of the U.S. Public Health Service to be against cigarettes, based on evidence of a causal relationship between smoking and lung cancer. This was followed by the 1964 “Report on Smoking and Health,” which spelled out, in great detail, the connections between smoking and many serious health problems.
As the smoke began to clear — and three of the actors who had appeared in Marlboro-related advertisements died of lung cancer — Marlboro cigarettes, specifically Marlboro Reds, earned the nickname ‘Cowboy killers.’
Decades later, the number of smokers in the U.S. is falling, but many continue to struggle with an addiction to nicotine. Numerous websites offer a road to recovery with options ranging from quitting cold turkey to hypnosis; from nicotine patches to gum. The latest product — and controversy —in this realm is the e-cigarette, or e-cig.
Dr. Gary Hochheiser, a thoracic surgeon and chief of the Thoracic Surgery Division at Baystate Health, who has performed thousands of surgeries on those with lung cancer, emphysema, and other benign and malignant esophageal diseases, describes an e-cig as a “nicotine delivery device,” one that heats liquid nicotine and turns it into a vapor for inhaling. The ‘e’ part of the name refers to the electronic heating element in the device.
“It’s not like burning tobacco and all the chemicals that are in cigarettes that we think are responsible for people getting lung cancer; we don’t think that nicotine is the major source for all that,” he told BusinessWest. “Theoretically, it should be better for you than a real cigarette. If we could take 50% of the cigarette smokers and make them e-cig users, that could be a huge national health benefit.”
But others in the healthcare industry remain skeptical about this product, and they center on words like ‘theoretically’ and ‘should’ that are used by Hochheiser and many others. That’s because little is known about the e-cig, now being sold and promoted by the major cigarette makers, and how its use can impact consumers who buy into the considerable hype concerning them.
“We really don’t know what’s in them,” said Lynn Ostrowski, director of Brand & Corporate Relations for the Springfield-based insurance company Health New England, adding that traditional cigarettes already have their own health-risk profile, which links smoking to various cancers and lung-compromised conditions.
However, no such dossier exists on e-cigs, she went on, adding that they are currently both unregulated and heavily promoted, and already account for almost $500 million in annual sales in the U.S.
Erika Sward, assistant vice president for the American Lung Assoc. in Washington, D.C., agreed, and said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially failed to find e-cigarettes safe and effective in helping smokers quit.
“The American Lung Assoc. is concerned about e-cigarettes because we don’t know what’s in them or the health consequences of what their use might be,” said Sward. “It’s important for people to know that e-cigarettes are a tobacco product and will be regulated by the federal government as a tobacco product, but as of today, they are not regulated at all.”
The obvious targeting of teens with fruity flavors, and marketing the inhalation of e-cig vapor as ‘vaping,’ not smoking, is concerning to many in the healthcare field, who see similarities between the marketing tactics of 50 years ago, including the Marlboro Man, and current efforts to promote e-cigs.
As the controversy heats up, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at this new product and the growing concerns surrounding it.

Truth in Advertising?

While it may seem that Hochheiser is promoting a questionable product, he explained to BusinessWest that his reasoning is due to the ongoing, desperate need for some effective alternative to smoking tobacco.
Hochheiser said that 80% of the surgery he performs is for lung cancer, the number-one cancer killer among Americans. The bulk of his lung-cancer patients are in their 60s and 70s — those, he said, who have been smoking since they were teens, many of them because they simply haven’t been able to quit.
“If it turns out to be safe and it is a way to transition people off cigarettes, then I tell my patients that it’s a good use temporarily,” said Hochheiser.  “I don’t condone using it long-term, but as a short-term device to try to get off cigarettes, I think the benefits probably outweigh the risks.”
But it is the use of words like ‘temporarily’ and ‘probably’ that concern people like Sward and Ostrowski, who contend that there is still far too much mystery concerning this product for it to be promoted by anyone, and that e-cig makers are blending unsubstantiated claims with time-tested methods for hooking young people on their products to create what could be a dangerous situation.
Sward compares the e-cig marketing explosion to the Wild West, where curious elixirs were hyped as cure-alls. Those making e-cigarettes are claiming that the vapor tubes can help smokers quit and that they are a healthier alternative for smokers and non-smokers alike, but there is no validation of these claims from the FDA or any other agency.
“The American Lung Assoc. has gone a few rounds with the tobacco industry, and we know not to trust it at its word,” she told BusinessWest. “We’re also troubled because we see this new product, but the same tobacco companies behind them using the same old marketing tactics; they’ve spent millions of dollars on their advertising already.”
Even though the federal government will eventually regulate e-cigs in a tobacco-product category, Sward continued, Lorillard, the world’s third-largest cigarette maker, which acquired Blu eCigs in 2012, has been pushing bills in state legislatures not to be regulated as a tobacco product, but in a new category called ‘vaping products.’ “They don’t want to be included in smoke-free laws, and they don’t want to be subjected to tobacco taxes.”
However, legislators in New York and Arizona have already introduced measures that would ban the sale of e-cigs to minors. In Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Utah, bills would extend smoking bans in public areas to include e-cigarettes. According to Casey Harvell, director of Public Policy for the Massachusetts chapter of the American Lung Assoc., the state Legislature currently has a bill to ban the sale of e-cigs to minors and to ban vaping in enclosed public places.
But the true contents of e-cigs and federal regulation of these products is what Sward and Ostrowski want to see, with both pointing to recent studies that show various metals, in addition to formaldehyde, benzene, and nicotine, found in tested e-cigs.
“It’s an industry that’s come under attack for the past 30 years, ever since the Surgeon General announced that the single most important thing you could do for your health was to quit smoking,” said Ostrowski.  “The tobacco companies are just figuring out how to reinvent themselves.”
Sward agreed and said the switch is identical to what the tobacco companies did when the public became concerned about full-flavored cigarettes, and created ‘light’ and ‘low-tar’ cigarettes, making claims that those versions were better for people to use.
“I think the whole ‘light’ campaign they had was a farce because they knew there was no difference with the risks,” added Hochheiser. “However, I think this is a totally different product, but one of the problems is we don’t know what the full risk is, and it’s totally unregulated.”
But as he mentioned, it does hold potential — and possibly vast amounts of it — for helping to wean people off cigarettes, an already-proven killer.
Hochheiser points to the patch and nicotine gum as products that have proven to help smokers quit, but he added that the ‘psychosocial’ act of smoking, holding a cigarette (or e-cig in this case), and bringing it to the lips to inhale is part of the hardcore smoker’s mental addiction.
Hochheiser said that once a patient learns they have lung cancer, the regret of a lifetime of smoking is typically 100%. But only 40% to 50% of those patients actually stop for good, which is a glaring example of how addictive cigarette smoking is, he said.
“You’ll notice that the targeting of cigarettes is toward younger people because people don’t start smoking cigarettes in their 30s or 40s,” he said. “We know they get people to start smoking in their teens and 20s. That way, they hook them for life.”
And this track record for success, if it can be called that, raises more concerns about e-cigs and the ongoing, and blatant, attempts to target young audiences.
“They’ve even come out with new flavors,” said Hochheiser, who, with a sarcastic laugh, added rhetorically, “now, who’s that for?”
The use of celebrities to push e-cigs, such as actress Jenny McCarthy for Blu, is also disconcerting for Ostrowski, Sward, and global medical entities.
Blu’s advertising shows McCarthy saying that vaping e-cigs offers “freedom to have a cigarette without the guilt.” The guilt she refers to is two-fold: guilt about smoking in public, and guilt about health concerns.
“When you get these celebrities behind things, all of a sudden it lends credibility to something,” but it’s a false credibility, Ostrowski added. “They boost those sales, and that is really troublesome because they don’t even know what they are backing.”
And the marketing strategies seem to be working. A September 2012 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed smoking rates among teens are flat; however, in one year, e-cig use among middle- and high-school students doubled.
The Lancet, the world’s foremost medical journal, is officially concerned about the use of celebrity endorsements for e-cigarettes, which hype smoking independence, glamour, and the alleged safety of vaping.
The explosion of candy and fruit flavors, like cotton candy, atomic fireball, and Cap’n Crunch, is what Sward equates to “the crown jewel” of big tobacco companies’ playbook to addict kids.
“So they’re actually creating this new generation of people who are going for the flavor and are going to be hooked on these e-cigs,” added Ostrowski.

Ashes to Ashes

Hochheiser sees the tobacco companies trying to capitalize on something new.
“They probably don’t even know what they’ve got — they just saw these e-cigarette companies as competition,” he said.
Meanwhile, consumers buying these products don’t really know what they have, either, said Sward and Ostrowski, adding that there is no evidence to back up the marketing claims — and no itemized list of ingredients, either.
So for most of the parties involved, e-cigs are an unknown quantity, and as long as they remain as such, the controversy about their use — and the efforts to promote them — will continue.

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

Features
WNEU Polling Institute Is Making a Name for Itself

Tim Vercellotti

Tim Vercellotti says the Scott Brown-Elizabeth Warren Senate race in 2012 gave the polling institute some national exposure that helped put it on the map.

The high-profile 2012 U.S. Senate race between incumbent Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren was memorable for a number of reasons.
Start with the amount of money spent — $68 million, making it one of the most expensive Senate contests of all time. There was also the heated rhetoric, epic debates, and, perhaps most importantly, the stakes — most analysts said this race was about nothing less than control of the Senate.
But Tim Vercellotti will also remember it for something else.
He considers that race the moment when the Western New England University Polling Institute, which he has directed since 2008, came into the national spotlight — and essentially came of age.
Launched in 2005, the institute included questions concerning that Senate contest in more than a half-dozen polls between the spring of 2011 and the days just before the election in November 2012. The headlines on the press releases announcing the polls’ results essentially mirrored what was happening in that pitched battle, as Warren, well behind when the contest began, gathered steam and, with the support of those also backing President Barack Obama, triumphed on election day:
• “Brown Holds 8-point Lead in Massachusetts Senate Race” (March 4, 2012);
• “Senate Race a Toss-up as Warren Closes Gap on Brown” (June 2);
• “New Poll Shows Warren Leading Brown in Senate Race” (Sept. 16);
• “Warren Leads Brown by Five Points in Latest Senate Survey” (Oct.7);
• “Poll: Warren Maintains Four-point Lead in Senate Race” (Nov. 4)
She would eventually win by eight points, said Vercellotti, noting that 4% of those polled near the end were still undecided, and the poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
“So we were right there; our polls were correctly indicating what was happening,” said Vercellotti, noting that, beyond the level of accuracy and its impact on overall credibility, the institute’s work during the closely watched race gained considerable national exposure, with mentions in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, and other news outlets. “That was our high-water mark … I’m not sure when that kind of clash of the titans will happen again.”
In the meantime, the institute has been garnering public opinion on everything from economic confidence and expectations for holiday shopping (two subjects in the most recent poll, undertaken in early November); from casino gambling to the recent government shutdown and which party was more responsible for it; from the ‘death with dignity’ poll question on last year’s ballot to healthcare reform.
And, while doing so, it is making strides in the all-important work to establish a reputation for accuracy and transparency, a process that can take years and perhaps decades, he said, but one in which he believes the WNEU facility is making solid progress.
“The longer you’re in the field and the more successful you are at building a record of accuracy, the better off you are,” he said, adding that the Brown-Warren race certainly enhanced the institute’s scorecard. “But it only takes a couple of bad polls to undo all of that, and that’s why I take this very seriously and think long and hard about the surveys and how they’re written.
“One of the challenges is that, in politics today, people want answers, they want absolutes, and surveys are merely exercises in probability — that’s why there’s a margin of error,” he went on. “What you’re saying is that, ‘19 times out of 20, we think the answer in the population is within this margin of error. But one time out of 20, it’s not, and that’s life; that’s just how it works.’ But if that one time in 20 is your final pre-election poll in a major, high-profile race, you can talk about probability all you want, but the audience can be very unforgiving.”
For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the work being conducted at the institute and the intricacies involved with the often-misunderstood world of polling.

Questions and Answers
While effective polling is both an art and a science, Vercellotti told BusinessWest, it is mostly the latter.
Elaborating, he said that strict attention must be paid to everything from how the questions are phrased to the order in which they are asked; from how political candidates are identified to how their names are pronounced, in order to ensure that the results are reliable and accurately reflect the thoughts of those being asked the questions.
As one example, he pointed to the most recent statewide survey, which polled respondents on the economy, holiday spending, casino gambling, medical marijuana, and other topics.
There were several questions about the health of the national economy, respondents’ personal financial position, and when and if improvement was forthcoming, he said, adding that he was careful to ask them after the queries on holiday shopping so as not to influence replies to that specific line of questioning.
“There was concern that if the shopping question came after the questions about the economy and people were gloomy about the economy, that would shape how they would answer those holiday questions,” he explained, adding that such nuances are shaped by experience and large amounts of pre-testing with surveys.
As another example, he cited polls on specific political races. Those asking the questions don’t have to go in alphabetical order with the candidates, said Vercellotti, but they should change the order of the names on a systematic basis, because a percentage of respondents to such queries will simply favor the first name they hear. Likewise, party affiliation must be mentioned with each candidate (when applicable) because some respondents are inclined to favor candidates by party affiliation.
“You have to rotate the order of those names so that each name appears first half the time,” he explained. “And it’s important to put party label with the name, because we know from political-science research that the less-engaged voters will often default to that label; they won’t know much about the candidates, so they’re just going to go with the party.”
These are just some of the things Vercellotti has learned during a career that has blended graduate-school training in survey research and questionnaire design, work at another college-affiliated polling institute (this one at Elon University in North Carolina), teaching, and his current post. He came to WNEU in the 1990s and became director of the institute in 2008.
He said there was a lot of learning while doing at Elon, and the education process essentially continues with each polling assignment.
“Survey researchers write some clunkers of questions,” he noted. “And with almost every survey, I get to the end and say, ‘I should have asked this.’ You file that away and try to do that the next time.”
Tracing the history of the WNEU program, polling institutes at colleges and universities, and polling in general, Vercellotti said the practice of gauging public opinion dates back to the 1930s, when firms such as the one started by George Gallup would go door to door seeking answers to specific questions.
The telephone became the preferred polling method in the ’60s — when the percentage of households with one reached a critical level —  and it remains the best option today, he went on, although Internet polling, considered less reliable by many, is gaining some traction.
In recent decades, several colleges and universities have created polling institutes, he told BusinessWest, with the twin goals of raising the profile of the institution and generating data for a society that has developed an appetite for ever-increasing amounts of it.
The Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers is one of the best-known of these facilities, but there are many others, including some in the Bay State at Suffolk University, UMass Lowell, and UMass Boston, said Vercelloti, adding that the WNEU model is based loosely on programs at other, smaller colleges, and especially Quinnipiac in New Haven, Conn.
WNEU started small, with 12 calling stations in a computer lab in the College of Business, said Vercellotti, adding that it has since grown to 23 stations, all staffed by thoroughly coached students.
Over the past several years, the institute has conducted two or three polls each semester funded by the university itself, he went on, adding that there have also been several projects — including many of those aforementioned Warren-Brown polls — undertaken in conjunction with the Republican and masslive.com.
There have also been a few contract assignments, including one commissioned by the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, which aimed to gauge the thoughts of Agawam residents on potential development of a large parcel on Tennis Road.
There is the potential for more of that kind of work, he explained, but the price tag — roughly $10,000 for an eight-minute, 24-question survey with 500 respondents — is higher than most inquirers expect and often beyond their means.

Numbers Game
As he talked about the polling institute and its work, Vercellotti made early and frequent use of the word transparency.
Such a facility simply must have it in order for the results it generates and then publicizes to have credibility, he said, adding that objectivity is another trait that a successful polling institute must possess, and this explains why he’s turned down a number of potential contract assignments.
“We have been approached for contract work on the casino issue, and from people on both sides — opponents of gaming and advocates for casinos — and I’ve turned down the work,” he explained. “It’s critical that we’re objective; we’re not going to take sides with an election issue. Candidates will sometimes approach us, including some who are alumni of this university, and I make the same point: we’re not here to be engaged in partisan politics or take one side of an issue.
“We’re extremely transparent about who hires us and the methodology we use,” he went on, adding that he’s a member of AAPOR (the American Assoc. for Public Opinion Research), has signed its code of ethics, and is part of an endeavor known as the Transparency Initiative. “The only way the audience can make an informed judgment about the credibility of polling material is to know how it was gathered.”
Overall, the process of reputation building, which affects both credibility and accuracy, takes years and is certainly ongoing, he said, adding that it takes multiple election cycles to establish that a program is reliable.
To date, the institute has amassed a fairly solid track record, or scorecard, said Vercellotti, adding that he does maintain a record of how well the surveys project what is to come. It has not projected the wrong winner in any political race or referendum question, at least when one takes into account the margin for error that accompanies each polling assignment.
That caveat is necessary with the ‘death with dignity’ question on the 2012 state ballot, he explained, relating the story of how public opinion on that measure changed dramatically between the institute’s first polling exercise on the subject and the last one just before the election.
“When we polled on it in the spring of 2012, it was way ahead, a slam dunk,” he recalled. “But I think that, in some ways, opinion on that question was very wide, but not very deep. And by the fall, opponents of that proposal had gotten organized, they started running some advertising, the Kennedys came out against it, the Catholic bishops came out against it.
“Our final pre-election poll, just five days before the election, had it passing by a two-point margin,” he recalled. “Therefore, I said it was too close to call, and it failed by two percentage points, but that’s within the margin of error.”
While the institute is still in its relative youth at only eight years old, it is, Vercellotti believes, gaining the respect from the many constituencies that are seeing and judging its work — from the general public to the press; from campaign operatives to special-interest groups, such as those on both sides of the casino issue.
And then, there are the growing numbers of bloggers, he said, who take polling data and analyze it — and usually aren’t shy about voicing opinions on the sources of that data.
“They’re the toughest audience of all, because they’ll take the time and go through the methodology and raise questions,” he said, adding that the emergence of this audience is a relatively recent phenomenon. “When I got into the business in 2001, there wasn’t that kind of audience, but now there is, and they’ve developed a level of expertise.”
Therefore, he pays attention to what the bloggers are writing. Summing up the reviews to date, he noted that many are positive, but some are what he called “dismissive,” a tone he attributes to the small size of the school and the youthfulness of the polling program.
Looking ahead, Vercelotti said that 2014 could be an intriguing and busy year for the institute. Indeed, the Deval Patrick era is ending — WNEU’s facility conducted its first poll on the coming contest earlier in the fall, headlining the release “Democrats Out in Front Early in Governor’s Race” — and there will be a race for the Senate seat captured in a special election earlier this year by Ed Markey after John Kerry became secretary of State. Meanwhile, there may also be some interesting ballot questions, including the possibility of another referendum on casino gambling.
But after that, things will likely get quieter, he said, noting that, while there is a presidential race in 2016, there won’t be another governor’s race or Senate race (unless someone else leaves office before their term expires) until 2018.
There may be some local, state, or regional issues to fill the void, he went on, adding quickly that, in an age when the public’s thirst for information only grows, there is unlikely to be a shortage of issues on which to conduct polls.

Making the Call
Referring back to all the science involved in polling, Vercellotti said it extends even to what time individuals are called — or should be.
He said the recent World Series, won by the Red Sox, posed some challenges; many were not happy about their viewing being interrupted by a pollster. Likewise, Patriots games add a layer of intrigue to Sunday afternoons, one of the times when those staffing the phones at the institute are most busy.
“I try to make the most of halftime — I make sure the callers are active then,” said Vercellotti, adding that mastering such nuances is all part of the process of making the institute successful — and respected.
Nearly nine years after it started soliciting opinions, this facility is well on its way to achieving those goals.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Insurance Sections
Severe Storms Are Creating a Trickle-down Effect on Policy Holders

Jim Phaneuf

With past and future storm damage in mind, Jim Phaneuf says, the state attorney general and insurance commissioner are making sure that carrier premiums and rate increases are justified.

When Jim Phaneuf references the weather, he’s certainly not making small talk.
Rather, he’s discussing big business — the insurance business, which he’s been in for more than 36 years, enough time to see everything, or just about everything, in this industry.
Indeed, over the past several years — and one year in particular, 2011 — Phaneuf, president of Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency in Belchertown, and others in this sector have seen things they’ve never seen before in terms of weather calamities and the resulting impact on the companies that write the policies and the consumers who purchase them.
‘Historic’ is the word he and others have used to describe it all — meaning everything from 2011’s ice dams, tornadoes, hurricane, and freak October snowstorm to subsequent weather events such as Superstorm Sandy in the fall of 2012, and the general consensus that this part of the country will see more of the same in the years to come.
But instead of words, Phaneuf and others like to use numbers to get their points across.
“Between 1980 and 2012, there were 123 U.S. weather-related events that resulted in claims of over $1 billion,” he told BusinessWest. “In 2011 alone, there were 12 U.S. weather-related disasters with over $1 billion in claims, and that caused insurance companies to raise rates to attempt to recover their losses. Our experience has been that most home-insurance customers have experienced rate increases in the past two years, largely as a result of the storms of 2011 and 2012.”
Corey Murphy, president of First American Insurance Agency in Chicopee, agreed, noting that 2011 was a banner year for weather-related claims in this region and others, and the impact from those losses will be felt for some time.
“I knew the insurance companies were going to have to respond — it was a catastrophic year; we had pretty much every natural disaster you could have,” he said, noting that rates have escalated for business and residential policy holders alike, between 3% and 6% on average.
The numbers vary, he said, because in many instances, an agency can sometimes shop for and get a better price, even at a time when many carriers are still struggling to recover losses. Meanwhile, agents can work with clients to lower their insurance bills by making sure they’re buying only what they need, passing on what they don’t need, and employing strategies such as bundling policies, taking higher deductibles, and avoiding marginal claims that will nonetheless trigger premium hikes.
Corey Murphy

Corey Murphy and his staff have kept their commercial and residential rate increases from storm damage as low as possible by shopping their policy needs with a variety of carriers.

Overall, he said, this is a time for consumers to renew — and tighten — their relationship with their insurance agency, because if predicting the weather is difficult, if not impossible, so too is gauging and minimizing the impact of all that weather on one’s insurance bills.
For this issue and its focus on insurance, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at what has become a perfect storm — in every aspect of that phrase — for insurance carriers, and a time of challenge for those looking to protect their assets and manage the cost of doing so.

Climate Change
Recapping recent events, meaning those of the past few decades and especially the past few years, those we spoke with said things have become more unsettled.
They used that word to refer to both the weather — which, in the opinion of many, is being increasingly impacted by global warming — and the fiscal health and well-being of insurance carriers.
Indeed, due to the recent spate of weather calamities, most insurance companies will not write polices for hurricane-prone coastal properties in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Texas, said Bill Grinnell, president of Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency in Northampton. So the states have created their own insurance mechanisms and set up rules, collecting premiums from property owners and assessing surcharges to those insurance companies that do business in other regions of those states.
“There is a wide belief that these storms are caused by global warming, which makes the weather less predictable and insurance outcomes less predictable,” Grinnell explained. “As a result, more revenues are needed to create reserves to cover the potential for more disasters, so there’s definitely been an uptick in the cost of insurance.”
According to a 2013 report, “Inaction on Climate Change: the Cost to Taxpayers,” by Ceres, a nonprofit organization advocating for sustainability leadership, the total loss exposure of these state-run insurance plans in the past 20 years has risen by 1,550%, from about $40 billion in 1990 to more than $600 billion in 2010.  Additionally, the report says only 50% of the damages in the U.S. caused by extreme weather events are privately insured, which leaves the federal and state governments (the taxpayers) to pick up the remaining tab.
Insurance companies, said Grinnell, earn revenue in two ways: premiums, of course, and conservative, low-risk investments, primarily in the bond markets.
With the historically low rates of return on bonds, insurance companies are not earning as much as they have in the past, and at the same time, they’re seeing higher bills from their reinsurance companies after paying out billions for just the past two years’ worth of catastrophic storms.
“So the reinsurance companies that provide the insurance for your insurance carrier for big disasters have increased their rates to the carriers, and those rates have been passed right down to the policyholders,” Grinnell explained, adding that the regional carriers in New England that do business in Massachusetts weren’t directly affected by Hurricane Katrina or, to a great degree, Superstorm Sandy. “So the majority of the storm-related increases are due to more localized events.”
Locally, Phaneuf added, state Attorney General Martha Coakley and Commissioner of Insurance Joseph Murphy are making sure carrier premiums and rates are justified.
“The attorney general seems to have served as a watchdog with the insurance issue,” he said, “to keep insurance companies’ rising rates in check.”

Policy Statement

Bill Grinnell

Bill Grinnell says insurance carriers are getting hit with higher rates from their reinsurance companies and passing these increases down to policyholders.

In this changing climate — for both weather and insurance to cover the damage it causes — Grinnell said agencies need to work even more closely with clients to reduce the impact on premiums while making sure customers’ bases are covered, literally and figuratively.
For instance, when his staff sees a client’s premiums spike significantly, they will attempt to shop that business around to get similar coverage, but at a better rate.
“We try to find a better home for their insurance if we’re able to, which we can some of the time, but not all of the time,” he said. “It’s definitely worth the effort if the insurance is going up more than 7% or 8%.”
Murphy agreed, but noted that there is seemingly less room for negotiating between agency and carrier in this environment, adding that this is another sign of the times and a product of the more adverse conditions within the industry, even though the weather has been much calmer this year.
“There’s a lot less back-and-forth over the last year or two. Now, there’s a lot less room; they’re pretty firm on what their prices are,” he said. “This year, it was a pretty mild year, but there were predictions that storms would increase, so there were a lot of adjustments by carriers based upon that.”
Those adjustments, Murphy went on, have appeared as higher premiums and a much harder look at what policies companies will underwrite. He called it “getting tighter.”
When Murphy and his agents present a potential policyholder to an underwriter — the person at the carrier who will decide how much to charge on the commercial lines, or even if they’ll write it or not — they want a much clearer picture of what they are writing.
“So, as an agent, we’re trying to present the best possible picture of that potential client,” he added. “The more you can make an underwriter feel comfortable about what they are writing, the better they feel about doing it.”
Meanwhile, agents can work with clients in a number of ways to help control their insurance bills without reducing coverage, said Phaneuf, listing several possible ones, including a willingness to accept a higher deductible.
“They generally mean lower annual premiums, but more out of your pocket when you have a loss,” he explained. “Your agent will also make you aware that you can control premiums by bundling discounts for your home and auto and installation of alarm systems, renewing your policies with the same insurer, and maintaining a loss-free status.”
Elaborating, he said that going years without filing a claim can lead to attractive discounts, savings that could more than offset the long-term costs from filing a claim in an instance where the damage only marginally exceeds the deductible.
In addition, Murphy told BusinessWest, he and his agents make sure their business clients are updating their product inventory and specific elements that they need for doing business.
“Business owners have to understand what their business is rated on,” he noted, adding that some standard ratings are based on square footage, which doesn’t change unless there is an expansion or a move, but other things do change, like real-estate values, replacement costs, inventory levels (up or down), or an increase in sales, all of which accurately reflect the business’s exposure.
The First American staff helps educate their commercial clients about keeping up with the current state of their property and business.
“If you don’t respond to your carrier with any updates, then they assume that all remains the same, and you could be paying more when you shouldn’t have to,” said Murphy. “But you don’t want them to be caught underinsured.”

Batten Down the Hatches
Grinnell and others we spoke with said their background is in business and insurance, not climatology or meteorology.
Predicting the weather is more difficult than ever, he noted, adding that even those with degrees in those subjects can’t say what will happen next year or over the next decade. The best thing to do is be prepared as much as possible, and that philosophy extends to the realm of insurance.
Phaneuf agreed, adding that, when it comes to weather patterns that are predicted to cause havoc in the future, protection of one’s home or business is, now more than ever, a complex business transaction.
“It cannot be effectively and appropriately done in 15 minutes,” he said. “In spite of what some national insurance carriers would like to have you believe, it is not a simple transaction like buying laundry detergent or breakfast cereal. If you treat it too lightly, you may not have the protection that you need when you need it … at a time of great loss.”

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

Features
Deadline Approaches for Finalizing the Class of 2014

BizDiffMakrsLOGO2011
The clock is ticking, but there is still time to nominate an individual or group for BusinessWest’s Difference Makers class of 2014.
Nominations, which can be completed online here will be accepted until the close of the business day (5 p.m.) on Dec. 20.
Difference Makers is the program BusinessWest launched in 2007 to recognize those who are, as the name suggests, making a difference in the region called Western Mass. Over the years, winners have come from a number of fields and been involved in a host of endeavors — from filling shelves in school libraries to creating a hugely successful fund-raiser to battle breast cancer; from fighting crime in Holyoke to making a community college more of a force in efforts to build a quality workforce in the region.
And in recent weeks, a number of nominations have been received that reinforce the notion that there are, indeed, many ways in which a group or individual can make a difference, said Kate Campiti, associate publisher of BusinessWest.
She noted that individuals and organizations representing several sectors, from healthcare to education to the nonprofit realm, have been nominated.
“Each year, we’re reminded that there are many ways to make a difference, and people and groups that are making a positive impact on overall quality of life in this region,” she said. “In recent years, we’ve had some hard decisions to make about who will be honored at our annual event in March, and this year is no exception.”
The class of 2014 will be selected by the editors and publishers of BusinessWest, and their stories will be told in a special section that will appear in the Feb. 10 edition of the magazine.
The annual Difference Makers awards event will be staged March 20 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. For more information on the Difference Makers program, call the magazine’s editor, George O’Brien, at (413) 781-8600, ext. 102.


Previous Difference Makers:


2009

• Doug Bowen, president and CEO of PeoplesBank;
• Kate Kane, managing director of the Springfield office of Northwestern Mutual Financial/the Zuzolo Group;
• Susan Jaye-Kaplan, founder of GoFIT and co-founder of Link to Libraries;
• William Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County; and
• The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield

2010

• The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation;
• Ellen Freyman, attorney and shareholder at Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C.;
• James Goodwin, president and CEO of the Center for Human Development;
• Carol Katz, CEO of the Loomis Communities; and
• UMass Amherst and its chancellor, Robert Holub.

2011
• Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission;
• Lucia Giuggio Carlvalho, founder of Rays of Hope;
• Don Kozera, president of Human Resources Unlimited;
• Robert Perry, retired partner/consultant with Meyers Brothers Kalicka; and
• Anthony Scott, Holyoke police chief.

2012
• Charlie and Donald D’Amour, president/COO and chairman/CEO, respectively, of Big Y Foods;
• William Messner, president of Holyoke Community College;
• Majors Tom and Linda-Jo Perks, officers of the Springfield Corps of the Salvation Army;
• Bob Schwarz, executive vice president of Peter Pan Bus Lines; and
• The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.

2013
• Michael Cutone, John Barbieri, and Thomas Sarrouf, organizers of Springfield’s C3 Policing program;
• John Downing, president of Soldier On;
• Bruce Landon, president and general manager of the Springfield Falcons;
• The Sisters of Providence; and
• Jim Vinick, senior vice president of Investments at Moors & Cabot Inc.

Opinion
Maybe 2014 Will Be the Year

EditorialPenWSJThe recession of the late ’80s and early ’90s was memorable for many reasons.
For starters, there was the swiftness with which it brought an end to the go-go ’80s and the real-estate boom that changed this region in so many ways. The building stopped, the for-sale signs went up (and stayed up), and the properties eventually went to foreclosure and back to the banks and their OREO (other real estate owned) portfolios to wait for a better day.
As for those banks, some of them disappeared from the landscape entirely, while others were absorbed by larger institutions, with their names lost to history. For those that survived, it was a difficult time of intense scrutiny and tighter regulation that made day-to-day life exponentially more difficult.
There was also the collapse of the minicomputer and the end of the so-called Massachusetts Miracle, and a prolonged residential real-estate slump.
But for most who were in business then, the recession will be remembered for the recovery — if one could call it that — that followed and how painfully slow and meager it was. The common refrains were, alternately, ‘when are things going to get better?’ and ‘are things ever going to get better?’
The current recovery hasn’t been quite that bad, although we would say it comes close. Things are certainly better than they were in 2008 and early 2009, and conditions have improved from just a few years ago — they just haven’t improved as much as business owners would like.
There are many reasons why, but it boils down to two things. First, there’s general uncertainty about what will come next, which is still causing hesitation on the part of many when it comes to expansion, new initiatives, and projects that can absorb space in the region’s many industrial parks. Second, there has been only marginal improvement in the employment picture, especially in many of the larger communities in this region, such as Springfield and Holyoke.
We all know from our history, especially as it pertains to the Great Depression, that when people are not employed, they are not spending money. When they are employed, well, they’re more inclined to spend, which helps companies grow, which prompts investments and expansion, which puts more people to work, which prompts more spending … you know the cycle, and you watched it happen in the mid-’80s and again in the late ’90s.
As 2013 draws to a close, it appears that we’re perhaps, and finally, on the cusp of recovery that might prompt people to bring out the word ‘real.’ The economists we spoke with (see story, page 15) were careful to hedge their bets and offer caveats, especially those related to the dysfunctional government in Washington and a still-shaky global economy.
But there are ample signs, including an improved housing market, a solid November jobs report, and modest payroll growth in the Bay State, to indicate that the economy is in fact getting healthier, and this trend will continue and likely accelerate in the year to come.
Let’s hope the projections are right. This recovery hasn’t been quite as bad as the one in the early ’90s, but it has been long, slow, and for the most part unremarkable.
The year ahead will likely see the start of construction of an $800 million casino in the South End of Springfield, creation of a UMass satellite facility in Springfield, real progress on Union Station, and other initiatives. It would be helpful if all that was accompanied by an economic expansion that touched all sectors.
There’s still a great deal of uncertainty and turmoil to deal with, but it looks like it’s time to change the music to something a little more upbeat.
Let’s hope so.

Autos Sections
Today’s Vehicles Are Loaded with Safety Features

Michael Oleksak

Michael Oleksak says drivers, especially those with children, respond enthusiastically to features like backup cameras, enhanced airbags, and child locks.

Motorists are supposed to keep their eyes on the road. That goes without saying, right?
Yet, think of all the distractions that could cause a momentary lapse in concentration, from bickering kids in the back seat to a sip of coffee to a quick glance at the radio dial. If traffic suddenly slows during one of those moments, an accident can occur.
That’s the idea behind adaptive cruise control.
“It’s a built-in collision-prevention system that maintains a set distance from the car in front of you. It lights up on the dashboard when you’re approaching a solid object faster than you should be,” said Brian Farnsworth, a sales consultant with Marcotte Ford in Holyoke, adding that the system is typically paired with brake support “In addition to giving you visual and audio cues, it fully charges the brakes for you, so when you hit the brakes, they’re ready to respond as fast as possible.”
But that’s certainly not the only high-tech vehicle-safety advance of recent years. Equipment that alerts drivers to hazards while backing up are standard on many models, said Michael Oleksak, general manager at Burke GMC in Northampton.
“The rear-vision camera is a tremendous safety feature for the driveway, if someone has small children,” he said. “It gives you a complete panoramic view of the back, and there’s a backup alarm system, so if you’re backing up, and you get within 30 inches or three feet, it starts to beep, and you also see a light flash. Then, as you’re getting closer and closer, the beeps come more often and also louder.”
Michael Filomeno, Marcotte’s general manager, said many Ford models already feature the backup camera, and the device will be standard on more models next year. Meanwhile, pending regulation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could soon make this technology standard on all vehicles — just one indication of how safety concerns are driving innovation among manufacturers.
“Airbags, anti-lock brakes, things that were big safety features in the ’80s, are pretty standard things now, but they’ve evolved,” Filomeno said. “We have better technology, things like adaptive cruise control, a new generation of airbags — it’s a whole different vehicle than it used to be.”
For this issue and its focus on auto sales, BusinessWest examines what’s new in vehicle safety, and why it matters to dealers and drivers alike.

Something Old, Something New

Michael Filomeno (left, with Brian Farnsworth)

Michael Filomeno (left, with Brian Farnsworth) says even safety features that first appeared decades ago have advanced in recent years.

Of course, safety concerns are nothing new for carmakers.
“While new technologies are greatly advancing safety features, auto manufacturers have had the consumer’s welfare in mind since the automobile’s inception,” notes Greg Fowler in Auto Trends magazine. “Many aspects of today’s vehicles taken for granted were initially included to improve the automobile’s marketability by making it seem less of a daredevil’s toy and more useful to the mainstream public.”
Until recently, vehicle safety features advanced slowly at best. According to Auto Trends, safety glass was first used for automobile windshields in the 1920s, and Buick was the first manufacturer to install a flashing turn signal in 1938. Meanwhile, cars had been on American roads for more than a half-century before seatbelts were introduced in 1949.
The ’70s and ’80s saw airbags and anti-lock braking systems become commonplace, but even those features have come a long way.
“Years ago, a car had two airbags,” Oleksak said. “Now, depending on the vehicle, you might have eight or 10. There’s side curtain and head curtain and side impact.”
Farnsworth added that Ford vehicles recently introduced front knee airbags on both the driver and passenger side, as well as inflatable seatbelts for children in the rear seats of SUVs.
Across the auto industry, in fact, airbags are anything but old hat. Because airbags have been deemed responsible for blunt-force injuries and even deaths, especially to children, over the years, all passenger vehicles since 2006 have been designed with advanced frontal airbag systems, the industry term for a deployment technology that automatically detects the size and position of the passenger and the severity of the crash, then uses that information to vary the force with which the bags inflate.
Oleksak was quick to note that many safety advances of modern times are decidedly low-tech, while others rely on more complex equipment.
“It’s a small thing, but we have child locks you can program though the locking system,” he said. “Another small feature, but very helpful, that you see in a lot of the Chevy trucks is the flasher in the side mirror — when you put the directional signal on, the mirror arrow flashes. Someone up close to you might not see the brake light, but they’ll see your mirror flashing.”
More advanced features do the opposite, alerting drivers to fellow motorists they might not see in their blind spots. That’s the purpose of the lane- departure feature, which alerts drivers when they’re drifting from their lane without a turn signal on, and also warns them when not to change lanes. “Let’s say someone is passing you on the right and is very close to you,” he said. “You see something flash, so you know not to pull over to the right.”
Even the simple act of parallel parking is being boosted by technology. An increasing number of carmakers are offering a feature that detects the size of the parking space, guides the driver into the starting position, and then parks the car automatically, hands-free — which, as it becomes more commonplace, could theoretically prevent many minor scrapes and fender benders.

Saving Lives
Of greater concern, of course, are serious accidents that cause injuries and deaths, and automakers understand those stakes. For example, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that up to 1.2 million crashes could be prevented or mitigated each year if all vehicles boasted some kind of forward collision avoidance system — preferably paired with autonomous braking systems or adaptive headlights, which rotate to better light the car’s path on curves and reduce glare for oncoming traffic.
The institute also credits electronic stability control — a recent innovation that helps drivers correct a swerving vehicle by applying brakes on individual wheels — with reducing the risk of a single-vehicle fatal crash by 50%, which is why it’s now standard equipment across the industry.
Oleksak said car buyers are increasingly aware of newer safety features, and are coming to expect them. “Even on the entry-level Chevy Cruze, you’re getting most of these features. Some are standard, some optional, depending on the model.”
Also popular with GM drivers is OnStar, a satellite service that provides navigation assistance but also features automatic crash response, alerting emergency services of an accident and its location. Drivers can also trigger that response manually in case of, say, a heart attack or a carjacking. Ford has a similar service called Operator Assist.
“That’s one of the features you hope you never have to use, and others, you use all the time,” he said of vehicle-safety devices in general. “Cars have really leaped ahead with safety. Just look at the way they’re designed, with crumple zones, the way the hoods fold. Years ago, in an accident, the hood came back through the windshield. Nowadays, with crumple zones, the hood folds a certain way, so as not to injure a person.”
Safety glass has improved as well, Oleksak noted. “Years ago, the glass was jagged, but now, the windshield breaks into a million pieces, almost like ash.”
Meanwhile, Farnsworth pointed to the roll-stability feature now standard on many Ford SUVs as just another example of safety advances drivers often take for granted. “People don’t always know about it. Our job is to let them know what’s available. And there are so many features now.”
Fowler notes in Auto Trends that safety advances have not only led to fewer accidents, but fewer insurance claims, which can lower insurance rates for everyone. “Cars do not drive themselves,” he notes, “but technological advances are getting us close.”
“Ford’s got a lot of cool stuff people don’t even know about,” Filomeno added. “When they come in, they’re not coming in looking for adaptive cruise, necessarily, but when you show them the car and tell them what it has, they’re really awed by it.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Insurance Sections
Leverage Your ‘Mod’ Squad to Keep Workers’ Comp Costs Down

By BILL GRINNELL

When Red Sox pitcher John Lackey grabbed his right arm in pain and walked off the mound in his first game of the 2013 baseball season, I can imagine that the Red Sox management held their breath.  He had missed all of the 2012 season. They had just invested a year in getting Lackey healthy, including costly surgery and extensive rehabilitation.
During that year, Red Sox management diligently followed Lackey’s progress. They encouraged his return as soon as possible. And, after learning that his pain that day was just a bicep strain, they had him up and throwing again 10 days later. He was back in the rotation to beat the Houston Astros just three weeks after the strain.
If you have an employee on your company’s disabled list, you would do well to follow the Red Sox management’s example.
Sidelined employees are not only a drain on productivity, but they can also quickly escalate your workers’ compensation costs. Keeping tabs on these employees’ healing process and getting them back to work as soon as possible are key to reining in those costs.
The factors that drive workers’ compensation costs are many and complex. Understanding them is important. You can’t manage what you don’t know.
Generally speaking, workers’ compensation policyholders with an insurance premium over $5,000 are subject to the Mass. Workers’ Compensation Bureau experience-modification rules. These rules establish an experience-modification factor (or ‘experience mod’) that is used to calculate your workers’ compensation insurance premium.
Like auto-insurance rates, experience mods are designed to make premiums cost more for those insureds with adverse loss experience and reward those with better-than-average experience.
The formula for your experience mod takes into account the frequency and severity of your losses compared with similar-sized companies in your industry. The bureau uses policy-holder loss data that is reported by insurers every year to calculate the experience mod.
The bureau looks at a three-year period of losses to minimize the effect of an extreme year (good or bad). The three-year period covers the three years prior to the last policy year completed. For example, an experience mod calculated on Jan. 1, 2014 will take into account the data from the policy years Jan. 1, 2010 to Jan. 1, 2011; Jan. 1, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012; and Jan. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2013.
A ‘snapshot’ of the losses is taken six months into a policy term and then reported. It’s important to attempt to close out open claims or question high reserves prior to this six-month snapshot event.

How It Works
Let’s talk about how the experience mod works and then get to how you can control your workers’ compensation premiums.
Remember how I said that the experience mod takes your frequency and severity of losses and compares them to what would be expected of a company of your size in your industry?
Well, if your actual losses are lower than expected, your experience mod will be less than 1.0, yielding a credit factor. The credit factor is applied against the standard premium and will save you money.
If your actual losses are greater than expected, then your experience mod will be more than 1.0, generating a debit factor. The standard premium would then be multiplied by the computed debit.
In Massachusetts, it is important to understand the dramatic impact that small losses can have on an experience-mod calculation. The full brunt of a loss up to $5,000 is added into the equation. The amount of a loss above $5,000 is discounted by factors near 80%. Two $5,000 losses produce a significantly higher debit than one $10,000 loss.
Experience-mod calculations are more sensitive to adverse loss experience today than ever before. While our elected officials can claim that Massachusetts has some of the lowest workers’ compensation rates in the country, you won’t hear them talking about mod calculations. Favorable rates have been significantly offset by experience-mod surcharges.
Loss-control programs, safety manuals, and light-duty return-to-work plans are all important ingredients toward achieving a lower mod. Tactics like these and others can be your ‘mod squad’ and help you keep workers’ compensation premiums down.
But most important of all, be careful who you hire.  New hires have consistently been the source of the worst workers’ compensation claims. Your hiring process is the key to your workers’ compensation experience-mod success.
With a selective hiring process, diligence with employee safety, and support to get injured and ill workers back on the job, you can keep your experience mod in check — and hopefully get World Series-winning performance from your employees!

Bill Grinnell is president of Northampton-based Webber and Grinnell Insurance Agency; [email protected]

Community Profile Features
Hampden Thrives on Community Partnerships

CommunityProfilesMAPhampdenRebecca Moriarty, executive director of the Hampden Senior Center for the past 11 years, equates this small, rural community to the TV show Cheers: a place where everybody knows your name.
“Everybody just knows everybody, and everybody pulls together,” she told BusinessWest. “If somebody gets sick, it’s phone calls, letters, cards; everybody is asking what they can do to help. It’s just a great community.”
That last phrase is one heard often in this town, which borders Connecticut, East Longmeadow, and Monson, but is most closely associated with the community just to the north. If fact, the town was originally known as South Wilbraham when settled in 1878; it would eventually take its own name, but the history — and the links — to Wilbraham run deep.
Even after Hampden became its own entity, separate from Wilbraham, “we’ve always been joined at the hip,” said John Flynn, chairman of the Hampden select board and co-owner of Hampden Engineering Corp. in East Longmeadow. “And we enjoy a terrific relationship with Wilbraham. In fact, we were invited to be a part of their recent 250th celebration because, for a number of those years, we were part of them.”
The towns, through the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, share grades K through 12 (Hampden funds approximately 25%, while Wilbraham funds 75%), including the new Minnechaug Regional High School, which opened its doors in 2012.
Hampden currently has a three-member select board, planning board, and other boards that, in addition to paid department heads, run the town through elected and appointed volunteer roles. The selectmen oversee a $10 million budget, a single tax rate, and a recent bond to cover road improvements. The population, roughly 5,000, has remained steady for the past few decades, following a surge in the mid- and late ’80s with the construction of several new subdivisions.

Gary Mayotte

Gary Mayotte has seen his small grocery store and popular meat department grow due to assistance from IGA and a loyal customer base.

Steady is a word that also applies to the business community, which boasts few large players — the town itself is the largest employer, and Rediker Software Inc., a school-administration software company, is a close second — but a number of service businesses that thrive by meeting specific needs.
One such enterprise — the currently shuttered Hampden Country Club — has become a source of speculation and anticipation. The club has been closed for nearly two years now as new ownership undertakes a broad renovation and new-building project, with all eyes focused on the spring of 2015 and the start of a new era for one of the town’s landmark businesses.
For this installment of its Community Profile series, BusinessWest turns the spotlight on a quiet town that is a community in every sense of that word.

Room with a View
One of the most visible business ventures — literally, because it sits high on a mountain, and figuratively, because everyone’s watching it — is the 295-acre Hampden Country Club purchased at auction for $1.4 million in early 2012 by the Antonacci family, owners of USA Hauling & Recycling Inc. of Enfield, Conn.
Guy Antonacci, a golf pro and now owner and general manager of the 18-hole course, told BusinessWest that what first caught his attention, and that of this father, were the stunning views from the clubhouse. But what they could also see was vast potential in a club that had been struggling in the years prior to this acquisition, and thus what had been an eight-year search for a golf operation to add to the family’s business portfolio came to an end.
The process of writing the next chapter in the club’s history has been long and sometimes challenging, said Antonacci, but Hampden officials have been instrumental in moving the plans forward.
“The town has been awesome, very open about it, and it seems they can’t wait for it to go up,” he said, adding, with a laugh, that “it seems that everybody I talk to was married here.”

Guy Antonacci

Guy Antonacci says the millions of dollars of improvements to the Hampden Country Club hold the potential for a private world-class golf destination.

The course is undergoing millions of dollars in improvements to all 18 holes and accompanying facilities, including construction of a new, 6,500-square-foot post-and-beam banquet facility that will entertain up to 200 guests, and a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse with a private restaurant and lounge, slated to open to private membership in the spring of 2015.
“So far we have 100% of 12 holes completed, two are partially done, and the other four will be finished next year,” said Antonacci, adding that other amenities will include a pool, tennis courts, paddle tennis, and a driving range.
“The golf course has the potential to become something very special,” he told BusinessWest. “In my mind, it can be one of the top golf clubs in the state, maybe even better.”
As the course construction continues, the mild-mannered Gary Mayotte, owner of Village Food Mart in the center of Hampden, is content to provide what he calls the freshest and most competitively priced meats and deli products in his small grocery store. He is a member of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), an organization of independent grocers across the U.S. dedicated to helping local, family-owned grocery stores remain strong in the face of growing chain competition.
Mayotte, who has owned and managed the 4,500-square-foot store for the past 27 years, describes the IGA as a “company with a conscience.” And a loyal clientele eases his concerns about big-box competition.
“I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped a small guy like me,” he said, referring to town residents, adding that he really has little competition with larger grocery stores, with none within a six-mile radius. He employs 25, including three full-time butchers for his popular meat department, and purchases as much locally produced and in-season food as possible.
Mayotte gives back in a variety of ways, but the most popular vehicle has been the Minnechaug Booster Club card, which sells for $10 (with all of that going to the school) and entitles holders to discounts with a number of participating businesses.
The 5% discount that the card brings at the Village Food Mart amounts to hundreds of dollars in savings a year for the store’s regular customers, said Mayotte, who said his participation allows him to reward those patrons and help the town at the same time.
“It allows me to offer a customer-appreciation card and still support the school,” he noted. “And I think it’s important to reward our loyal customers.”
What Mayotte is far less willing to talk about are his Good Samaritan efforts that get less press or attention, but that many in town have personally witnessed.
“He’s one of those businesses that goes above and beyond,” Moriarty told BusinessWest. “He has a schedule for deliveries on a certain day of the week, but if someone calls and they’ve been sick or broken their leg, he’ll say, ‘no problem’ and pick what they need off the shelf and deliver it to them. His last-minute help is really personal.”
Moriarty offered another example of good-neighbor relations. She’s received a few calls over the years from the Village Food Mart about seniors who are in need for someone to help get them home. “It’s this community partnership in which we all work together that makes Hampden what it is.”
She also described Hampden as a small community with a very vibrant older adult population. “We keep the senior center in a ‘home-away-from-home’ feel with the fireplace and the library, and we have people come in and have their coffee and read the morning paper. It’s a place to have a routine.”
Moriarty said there is not much she’d change about Hampden, but admits that, due to its almost 20 square miles of rural territory, getting around can be challenging for those seniors who can no longer drive.
Without a PVTA bus route, she explained, many of those older adults have to rely on volunteers or the generosity of residents to help. However, the town has partnered with the East Longmeadow Senior Center for a regionalized transportation program called the Two Town Trolley. That does help a bit, but funding is always an issue.

All for One
Flynn, who could be called a third-generation selectman — his grandfather served on the board for 22 years, and his father for 33 — said the ongoing challenge for Hampden, and most all communities like it, is balancing needs with available tax revenue and keeping the community both affordable and livable.
“Our biggest challenge is balancing our needs versus the revenue. Everybody has a need, which is valid, but the reality is, we also have taxpayers who are just coming out of the biggest recession in 70 years, so we cannot be increasing the bill on them,” he told BusinessWest. “Everybody wants more services, but you have to be pragmatic and run the town like you do your home.”
Elaborating, he said this is possible with the town-meeting format of governance, a system he called the “purest form of democracy,” and one that has served the town well for nearly 140 years.
“It’s their [residents] choice of how they want to spend the money,” said Flynn. “We tell them, ‘here’s our plan,’ and they can accept it or amend it, but we back it 100%.”
During those important discussions — some more difficult than others — good neighbors reach for the same goals, he said. And it certainly helps that everybody knows your name.

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

Insurance Sections
How to Reduce Stress and Optimize Outcomes in Filing Insurance Claims

John E. Dowd Jr.

John E. Dowd Jr.

Let’s begin with the premise that insurance companies are in the business of paying claims, pure and simple. However, as most people are aware, the process of filing and then being paid for compensable claims is not always easy or convenient, depending on the size and nature of a claim.
We try to advise our clients at the outset of every claim of the appropriate steps they need to take to make sure things go as smoothly and quickly as reasonably possible. We also try to carefully manage people’s expectations for how the claim process will go, as well as the eventual payout amount they can expect. Unfortunately, some insurance companies handle claims better than others, and you need to rely on your insurance agent/broker to properly represent you both at the time you choose your insurance company and when a claim has occurred.
Many of the complaints insurance companies receive each year are from customers who are unhappy about claims handling. For many years, one of the top complaints people have regarding the claims process is a delay. When people are dealing with the issues that made them file a claim, it can be frustrating to handle the insurance claim on top of that. For this reason, it is important for all policyholders to be prepared. One of the best ways to do this is to make sure all of the information the insurance company would need is always available.
Policyholders should keep this information in a safe place where it will not be lost or forgotten. The following suggestions are also helpful.
• When filing claims, make sure they are submitted promptly. Call your agent/broker immediately after something happens that warrants a claim. Letting receipts pile up can cause more delays. If temporary repairs are put off or are not completed, the initial damage to the home could worsen. For example, water damage that is not addressed promptly could lead to problems that cost more money and may create coverage issues.
• Understand the policy. It is important for every individual to know what his or her policy says. Knowing what is covered and what is not covered makes it much easier to know what to expect when damage occurs. Waiting until a disaster happens to read through the policy will only result in further frustration. Talk with your agent/broker ahead of time so he or she can explain your coverage and answer questions.
• Use correct and complete information for the claim. Using incorrect or incomplete information will result in processing delays. Check all of the information for accuracy twice before submitting it, and make sure everything that is required has been provided.
• Keep records of all forms of correspondence. When making calls, sending e-mails, or receiving letters, make sure each one is recorded. Write down the date, the form of correspondence, the name of the contact person, and the subject of the correspondence. If there are any important details, include these in the notes. Policyholders should always ask questions and address any disagreements promptly.
• Keep records of temporary repairs. Some types of damage warrant immediate but temporary repairs. If this is the case, it is important to document any work that was done and who completed it. When purchasing supplies or services, save the receipts. Taking photos or videos before and after the repairs is also helpful. Homeowners should never make permanent repairs. Policies cover only necessary temporary repairs. Those who want to know how much it will cost to complete permanent repairs should arrange for one or more adjusters to provide quotes.
• Verify any denials. If a claim is denied, politely ask for the language in the policy that reflects why it was denied. Your agent/broker will assist you in confirming the accuracy of the coverage denial.
• Never rush into a settlement. When a settlement offer does not seem fair, contact your agent/broker immediately to discuss the matter.
• Ask for information to be released for health claims. If medical help was needed due to the reason for the claim, it is important to ask a medical provider to release relevant information. When policy holders suspect that a medical provider is overcharging, an insurance company may audit the bill upon request.
The claims process is a stressful one for many people. With proper preparation, this stress can be reduced significantly. The most important thing to remember is that your agent/broker is always available to help during any part of the process, so do not hesitate to contact your agency when questions arise.

John E. Dowd Jr. is a fourth-generation principal of the Dowd Agencies. He is one of three partners at the oldest insurance agency in Massachusetts with operations and management under continuous family ownership. The Dowd Agencies is a full-service firm providing personal, commercial, and financial-planning needs, with four offices in Western Mass.; (413) 538-7444; [email protected]