April 23, 2013 - Page 2 of 2

Melyssa Brown

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Manager, Audit and Accounting Division, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., age 31

Growing up, Melyssa Brown spent a portion of many summers attending a camp operated by Girls Inc. in Pittsfield.
There, she said she learned to swim and eventually compete in that sport, participate in a number of athletic and crafts-related activities, and grow personally from simply “hanging out with the girls.”
The many positive experiences from those summers in the Berkshires comprised one of the myriad motivating factors for her current involvement with Girls Inc. of Holyoke. She’s a board member, treasurer, and active fund-raiser, for example, but also one of the prime movers with an ambitious new initiative called Eureka.
As participants in the program, girls ages 12-15 spend four weeks each summer on a college campus to learn about math, science, computers, sports, and both personal and career development.
“We get everyone on board — the girl signs up, and the family signs up,” she explained. “Everyone is committed. We want to see the girls make it through the entire process; we want them to learn about the many career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, and the education they will need to enter those fields.”
Her role with Girls Inc. is just part of Brown’s work within the community; she also donates time and energy to mentorship programs at both Elms College and Westfield State University, as well as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, Link to Libraries, and the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.
These efforts are just a few of many factors that have made her a member of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2013. Professionally, she is now the youngest manager in the Audit & Accounting (A&A) Division at Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., where she helps a broad range of clients while also serving as a mentor to many younger members of the A&A team.
In addition to her client-service responsibilities, she has been integral in the firm’s leadership and staff-development intitiative, facilitating firm-wide training based on Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Bruce Tulgen’s It’s Okay to Be the Boss.
Whether it’s as a Girls Inc. alumna or one of the leaders at MBK, Brown has become an effective role model — in every sense of that phrase.

— George O’Brien

Elizabeth Beaudry

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Senior Commercial Credit Analyst and Information Technology Administrator, NUVO Bank & Trust Co., age 30

Liz Beaudry has no fear of starting something new, and she’s been on the ground floor of quite a few new endeavors, in both the professional and personal arenas. “I love learning, and I have no fear of failing because there is always something to learn from it.”
In her professional life, Beaudry was on the ground floor for the 2008 launch of the only state-chartered bank in the Commonwealth, NUVO Bank & Trust Co. Originally opening temporary doors in Monarch Place during the completion of the institution’s current location in Tower Square, the initial small team was doing business from day one.
“We’d have people stop by with cash to deposit, and we didn’t even have a cash drawer yet,” she recalled. Starting with an initial $13 million in assets, the bank is now at more than $105 million.
Meanwhile, she earned her MBA from Bay Path College in 2010. After that, not content to sit back and enjoy some free time to plan her summer wedding, she saw her cousin’s activity in the World Adult Kickball Assoc. and thought it might be fun to have that type of adult recreation in the Western Mass. area. With a bit of research, she launched her own Holyoke kickball league under the Massachusetts Sports and Social Club banner.
Initially, Beaudry had no idea if anyone would be interested, but through e-mail invites, almost 100 people of all ages — many of whom hadn’t played since grade school — showed up to play the first night. The huge success of that league gave way to other sports, including dodgeball, indoor volleyball, and Wiffle ball, which keeps her busy many weekday evenings as a field advisor for the various leagues.
When not analyzing credit requests and overseeing the bank’s information technology, she’s offered her time and talent to the Down Syndrome Resource Group of Western Mass., the Buddy Walk, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke.
And chances are good that Beaudry will be starting something new soon. “I never shut the door on opportunity.”

— Elizabeth Taras

Jason Barroso

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Project Environmental Scientist, Tighe & Bond, age 36

Jason Barroso went to UMass Amherst to study political science, but decided around his junior year that he didn’t really like politics that much.
So he switched gears and wound up earning a double major in Political Science and Earth Science, and he has built a successful career around the latter.
After a number of positions at other companies, Barroso joined Tighe & Bond in 2006. As a project environmental scientist, he provides services to a mix of clients, including municipalities, real-estate-development professionals, industrial corporations, and utility providers.
It’s a diverse job. For one thing, Barroso serves as Tighe & Bond’s point person for its demolition consulting and design business, a role he finds gratifying. “I like to drive by a site being redeveloped and know I had a part in making that redevelopment possible,” he said. “As cheesy as it may sound, it’s nice to see something growing out of something that was defunct.”
Meanwhile, in his role as emergency response coordinator for the firm, he directs assessment and response to transformer oil spills for major power utility providers throughout the region. There are usually about 30 of those events per year, but between June and October 2011 — a five-month period bookended by the spring tornadoes and the pre-Halloween snowstorm, not to mention a tropical storm in August — he dealt with 147 spills.
“That was pretty taxing on our folks,” he recalled. “It was quite a feat to get all that done along with our regular workload, but we made it through.”
And about his dislike for politics? Well, “I got bit by the political bug again,” he said with a laugh, and took a seat on the Ludlow Conservation Commission, acting as chairman for two years, then chaired the town’s Master Plan Committee. “Both professionally and personally, that just felt like a natural fit for me.”
But he wasn’t done. After the housing market collapsed and the Great Recession began, Barroso sought and won a seat on the Board of Selectmen, desiring to implement strategies aimed at minimizing property-tax increases and cuts to public services; he later chaired that board, too.
“It’s certainly given me a lot of perspective on the challenges of running a municipality, especially in this economic climate,” he said. “It’s been an amazing experience.”

— Joseph Bednar

Adrian Bailey Dion

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Chief Operating Officer, Harold Grinspoon Foundation, age 31

‘Business savvy’ and ‘entrepreneurial skills’ are phrases that some might not associate with the management of a nonprofit. But Harold Grinspoon — one of the region’s most successful business leaders, a true entrepreneur, and a philanthropist — certainly knows better.
And that’s why he hired Adrian Bailey Dion to help lead the foundation that bears his name and become “a partner in my philanthropic work.” In his letter nominating Bailey Dion for the 40 Under Forty Class of 2013, Grinspoon had high praise for her entrepreneurial approach to operating and growing PJ Library, one of the foundation’s signature programs, which supports literacy and values development in children ages 1-8 through the purchase and delivery of age-appropriate Jewish books.
“When it started in 2006, it was my hope to grow the program and send Jewish books to 5,000 families in five years,” he wrote. “With Adrian on board in 2008, she was able to strategically think through the operations side of these growth goals. She helped build this program, which now has more than 200 partners across the globe, sends more than 100,000 books per month, and has given away more than 4 million books!”
This was accomplished through Bailey Dion’s efforts to create a new model of doing business within the publishing industry, as she positioned PJ Library to work like an agent as well as a client by proactively and collaboratively finding new manuscripts and story ideas, and structuring a purchasing process and timeline that allowed new books to be published for both PJ Library and the trade market.
“Having more families get more books is the way we measure success, and the way we do that is through efficiencies and economies of scale,” she explained. “The same principles that apply to business can also be applied to philanthropy.”
Personally, she’s been applying those entrepreneurial principles and passions to benefit local food pantries and kitchens. She worked tirelessly to make Share the Bounty, a program that supports shares in local farms, a more viable business; it was eventually adopted by Berkshire Grown, a nonprofit Berkshire County program that supports local agriculture.
In her home life, she and her arborist and horticulturalist husband plan on growing gardens and an orchard at their new, 13-acre home in Granville. Chances are, she’ll exceed growth goals there as well.

— Elizabeth Taras

Meaghan Arena

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Associate Dean, Division of Graduate and Continuing Education, Westfield State University, age 33

Meaghan Arena’s career has gone to the dogs. And plenty of other places.
“I enjoy coming here every day,” Arena said of her role developing a host of Westfield State University’s continuing-education initiatives, many of them involving young people (and, occasionally, canines; more on that later). “I work with a really great staff, and no day is the same. I’ve been fortunate to be able to have a job that’s this flexible.”
Arena oversees a staff of 11, as well as seasonal and temporary employees, in maintaining programs such as College for Kids, a summer outreach for children ages 5-16, and Teen-U, a residential summer program for high-school students.
“In the kids’ program, they come to campus and take courses that are fun, but also learning-oriented,” she said. “There might be classes like Lego Engineering or Forensics Fun — and they are fun, of course, but they also have a science component to them.
“Teen U is similar, but for older students; they actually live on campus,” she said before listing a few of the offerings in that program. “This year, we’re running Westfield CSI, which is similar to Forensics Fun but more involved, teaching students about policing, fingerprints, and crime-scene investigation.” Other classes delve into subjects ranging from health to music.
“Meaghan helps serve the community by getting children and teenagers involved in college at an early age,” wrote Kelly Koch, a local attorney and former 40 Under Forty honoree, who nominated Arena. “She has taught them that college is within their reach and that it should be attainable for everyone.”
But Arena has other passions as well, including her work volunteering for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Animal Shelter; last year, she even involved Dakin staff and animals in College for Kids to teach children about kindness to animals.
“My master’s degree is in Humane Education, so animals and the environment have been part of my life for a long time. When I started working at the college, it was a wonderful opportunity to educate children about animals and about appropriate behavior with animals — again, in a fun way,” she said. “There’s a lot of flexibility here to do the things that mean something to you.”

— Joseph Bednar

Timothy Allen

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Principal, South End Middle School, age 34

Tim Allen says he has a very basic approach to education and the students he serves.
“I feel that all students need to be valued,” said the man given the reins at Springfield’s new South End Middle School, which opened its doors in 2011. “And all students can achieve if they’re given the right environment in school, and if they’re given the tools they need to succeed.”
And he takes that same basic approach with the teachers in the classrooms.
“I believe in creating a family environment where people can work collaboratively,” Allen explained. “I believe in sharing leadership as much as possible, and I believe that teachers need to be supported, since what they’re doing is the most important thing in the building.”
To say that this philosophy is generating results would be a huge understatement. Indeed, the 300 students at the school — more than a third of whom are English Language Learners, or ELL — showed more improvement on the English portion of the MCAS tests in the school’s first year than any of the other six neighborhood middle schools in Springfield.
Meanwhile, 95% of the teachers who generated those results stayed at their positions for the 2012-13 school year, bucking a trend for extremely high turnover rates within urban schools.
Allen’s immediate goal is to continually improve on those results, a reflection of his habit of setting the bar high after he made that intriguing and often-difficult career decision to move from the classroom to the administrative wing in 2007.
“I like the challenge of leadership — I like leading adults,” he said in explaining that choice. “And I just felt that I could give a lot back by trying to help an entire school improve, as opposed to just one classroom; I really like that challenge.”
And while taking it on, he’s finding other ways to give back, especially through his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He’s been mentoring the same Springfield youth for eight years now, and says the relationship has been mutually beneficial.
“It’s been a real bright spot in my life,” he said. “He’s a very bright young man, and he’s come a long way, and I think the relationship has influenced both lives in a very positive way.”

— George O’Brien

Meet Our Judges

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40

The Seventh Annual 40 Under Forty Competition

This year’s nominations were scored by a panel of five judges, who accepted the daunting challenge of reviewing more than 100 nominations and scoring individuals based on several factors, ranging from achievements in business to work within the community. BusinessWest would like to thank these outstanding members of the Western Mass. business community for volunteering their time to the seventh annual 40 Under Forty competition. They are:

Jeffrey Fialky

• Jeffrey Fialky, a member of the 40 Under Forty class of 2008 and a shareholder of the regional law firm Bacon Wilson, P.C., and member of the firm’s corporate, commercial, and municipal departments, where he specializes in all aspects of corporate and business law, banking, commercial real estate, and sophisticated commercial transactions. He joined the firm in 2006 after nearly a decade of living in Eastern Mass., where he held senior commercial attorney positions within some of the country’s most prominent publicly traded telecommunications and cable television companies. He previously served as an assistant district attorney in Hampden County.

Fialky is also active in the community, having served on a number of nonprofit and economic-development-related organizations. They include the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Museums, the United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Jewish Federation of Pioneer Valley, the Springfield Technical Community College Scibelli Enterprise Center Advisory Board, the Alden Credit Union board of directors, the Community Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, Leadership Pioneer Valley, OnBoard, the YMCA of Greater Springfield, the Mason Wright Foundation, the EDC Tourism Development Committee; and the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter.

Brendon Hutchins

• Brendon Hutchins, CFP, a member of the 40 Under Forty class of 2012, and senior vice president of Account Management for St. Germain Investment Management. Prior to joing the firm in 2003, he was vice president and financial advisor for the FleetBoston Financial Corp. Private Clients Group in Springfield. His prior experience includes eight years with Fidelity Investments as a vice president in the retirement division, with responsibilities across multiple locations during his tenure there.

In addition to being a certified financial planner, Hutchins holds NASD series 7 and 65 licenses for securities representation and investment-advisor services. He currently serves on the board of directors for the New England office of the March of Dimes, the Greater Springfield YMCA, and the Basketball Hall of Fame, and has also served on the board for the Springfield School Volunteers.

Mark O’Connell

• Mark O’Connell, president and chief executive officer of Wolf & Co., providing audit and financial reporting services to both privately held and publicly traded financial institutions and holding companies across New England, including community banks and mortgage banking institutions. In his current capacity, he is responsible for the strategic direction of the firm, while also providing audit and advisory services to financial institutions. His experience also includes consultation on audit and accounting issues related to mergers and acquisitions and with respect to debt and security offerings filed with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

O’Connell has been involved with a number of industry and nonprofit organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Massachusetts and Connecticut Societies of Certified Public Accountants, and the Children’s Study Home in Springfield. In 2010, he won the Human Services Forum Board Member Award.

Myra Smith

• Myra Smith, vice president of Human Resources and Multicultural Affairs at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). Joining the college in 1978, Smith has helped transform the STCC community into one of inclusiveness that celebrates cultural diversity. Among her many accomplishments is the creation of the STCC Diversity Council and its event series, which brings national and international speakers and artists to the campus. Smith also was responsible for the creation of the STCC “Think Tank” series, which brings community leaders together to assist with the retention and graduation rate of young men of color.

Smith is also active in the community, serving on many local boards, including People’sBank, the National Conference for Community Justice of Western Mass., and the STCC Foundation. Smith is a founding trustee of the Martin Luther King Charter School of Excellence and a trustee for the Non-Unit Health and Welfare Trust Fund for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Smith was recognized in 2007 by Unity First with a Women of Leadership Award, and received a Women of Vision Award from the Elms College Step Forward Program in 2005.

Jeff Sullivan

• Jeff Sullivan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of United Bank. In that capacity, which he assumed Jan. 1, Sullivan is responsible for the bank’s retail deposit and operations division, advancements in technology and electronic banking, and franchise expansion efforts. In addition, he also oversees the Information Systems and Facilities Departments and the United Wealth Management Group, and is also responsible for the company’s enterprise risk management program. He previously served the bank as executive vice president and chief lending officer and, prior to arriving at United, served in commercial-lending capacities for the Bank of Western Mass. and BayBank.

Sullivan has been involved with a number of area nonprofit and economic-development-related organizations, including DevelopSpringfield, Better Homes Inc., Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, Briana Fund for Children with Physical Disabilities, OnBoard, the Pioneer Valley Plan for Progress, the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Council of Western Mass.

Shaun Dwyer

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

First Vice President, PeoplesBank, age 38
Shaun Dwyer has carved out a successful, 17-year career in commercial lending, but he’s never lost sight of the people behind the numbers.
He entered the field as a financial analyst and later assistant vice president at TD Bank, helping to finance real-estate transactions throughout New England and eventually managing a $130 million loan portfolio.
He transitioned to Berkshire Bank, where he was promoted in 2011 to first vice president and regional team leader; in that role, he served as the face of the bank after the June tornado and October snowstorm, reaching out into the community and donating significant volunteer hours in cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
In his newest role at PeoplesBank, he works with borrowers on a wide variety of commercial and real-estate loans in the $500,000 to $10 million range. While the work is busy and satisfying, Dwyer says it’s the one-on-one aspect of the job he values most.
“I appreciate the relationships I’ve been able to cultivate over the past 17 years, watching these individuals grow their companies, and grow in the Springfield region,” he said. “It’s neat to see the dollars we’ve provided benefit them, so that they’re able to do what they need to do and better themselves and their organizations.”
Dwyer also stays active away from work. He serves on the STCC Foundation, where he promotes the college as a workforce and economic-development engine, in the process helping to raise more than $650,000 for scholarships, technology, and program development. He also has a successful relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, personally raising up to $75,000 each year — typically enough to fund three wishes.
In addition, he serves as vice president of the Springfield Riverfront Development Corp., an agency that oversees the development and management of some $10 million in real-estate assets along West Columbus Avenue and has helped persuade several marquee food and entertainment venues to set up shop near the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“That intrigued me because of how important the riverfront is to this region,” he said. “When I join a board, it’s for a purpose.”
That purpose, which runs like a defining thread through Dwyer’s career and community work, is creating opportunity and vitality in the region he loves.

— Joseph Bednar

Erin Fontaine Brunelle

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Realtor, Century 21 Hometown Associates; Founder and Co-chair, Buy Holyoke Now, age 31

As a real-estate agent, Erin Brunelle was quick to share her favorite part of her job. “It’s handing someone their first set of keys. Everyone dreams about their first house, and getting to be a part of that is very rewarding.”
She’s had plenty of experience with that feeling, ranking in the top 10 in sales performance among all Century 21 offices in the area last year, handing out 21 sets of keys while posting more than $2.7 million in sales. Brunelle also helped Century 21 Hometown Associates open a new Holyoke location last year; after just a few months, that office boasts the top market share in the city.
But that’s not the only way she’s impacting home ownership in the city. Take, for example, a project she helped launch called Buy Holyoke Now.
“It’s a new homeowners initiative we launched in the city after Alex Morse was elected mayor,” she said. “We laid out why it would be important, and he was on board from day one.”
In a nutshell, Buy Holyoke Now is a collaborative effort by a network of lenders, real-estate professionals, nonprofit groups, attorneys, insurance agents, home inspectors, Holyoke Gas & Electric, and a number of other retail partners and local tourist attractions, who team up to offer discounted costs and other incentives to people who move to Holyoke.
“Just from the goal of economic development, to have tax dollars coming into the city is always a good thing,” Brunelle said, citing research suggesting that every two homes sold equals one job and $30,000 pumped into the local economy each year. The retail incentives of Buy Holyoke Now are intended to increase that figure further, by encouraging residents to direct their spending money toward locally owned businesses.
“I’m a hometown girl. I was born and raised here,” Brunelle said of her passion for the city, which extends to other civic volunteerism, including service to the Holyoke Winter Carnival and the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley Community Service Committee; she has also decided to run for the School Committee in Ward 7. “I get upset when Holyoke gets a bad rap from people who don’t know what the city is all about. I want to alter that perception.”

— Joseph Bednar

Vanessa Pabon

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Director of Community Engagement, WGBY-TV, age 38

Like most of those who work in public broadcasting, Vanessa Pabon has been caught up in the phenomenon that is Downton Abbey. She took a behind-the-scenes role in helping to stage an elaborate ball themed after the show in January, and, like everyone else, is eagerly awaiting season four.
But her work with WGBY-TV is far more focused on the here — meaning Greater Springfield — and now, as opposed to the 1920s. As her title, director of Community Engagement, suggests, she’s responsible for engaging people in communities within WGBY’s service area who are underrepresented in its audience and membership. And she does this by developing new engagement strategies and also overseeing and expanding existing programs, such as the Latino Youth Media Institute and something called TOLD (Telling Our Legacies Digitally).
“People get to share a personal story about themselves that they ultimately feel may make an impact within the community,” Pabon said of TOLD, adding that the five-minute videos have involved individuals primarily from Springfield’s North End, and of all ages. “It’s not just sharing, but something that becomes public, and the stories range from overcoming battles, like finding out they have HIV, to happy moments, such as someone who didn’t think they’d be going to the prom ultimately going and being named prom queen.
“They get to produce these pieces and then either share them with their family or in a public forum, as conversation starters,” she went on. “And for me, the power isn’t just the video you watch at the end of the workshop, but what happens within the process — the community building, relationships, and the healing that happens when people share stories.” Other job responsibilities include everything from recruiting interns to providing media training to researching and writing grants.
In addition to her work with the station, Pabon is very involved in civic life, through work with the North End Campus Coalition; the Greater Springfield YMCA, which she serves as a member of its Community Services Branch, Charter School Committee, and Hispanic/Latino National Health Initiative; the Springfield Promise Neighborhood; and the Stay in School Campaign, which she serves as head of its youth committee.
In other words, she emphasizes community engagement both on and off the job.

— George O’Brien

Brenna Murphy McGee

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Holyoke City Councilor, age 29

Brenna Murphy McGee was waitressing and tending bar when she got the call into politics, accepting a job as chief of staff for former state Rep. Michael Kane six years ago.
“He was looking for a second staff member, another legislative aide,” said McGee, who had earned a degree in Psychology at UMass Amherst and hadn’t seen herself in politics before working with Kane and also supervising the research staff for the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government. However, “I liked the whole political world so much that I later became interested in running for City Council, and he encouraged me to do it.”
Her first campaign in 2010 was a successful one, as she finished third among 13 candidates. She currently chairs the Charter and Rules Committee and is vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, working with residents to address traffic and speeding issues. She also helped establish a crime-watch program.
“My home was broken into in May 2011, when I was home sleeping,” she said. “It really freaked me out. I helped the Ward 6 councilor — who is now my husband — to establish the Ward 6 Crime Watch. They don’t simply talk about crime; it’s a way for people to get together and discuss what’s going on in the ward and in the city.”
She and her husband, Todd McGee — who recently welcomed their first child, Myles — are the first married couple to serve concurrently on the Holyoke City Council, and they are now both 40 Under Forty winners as well; Todd was honored in 2011.
But McGee doesn’t get involved in civic life just for the safety of her own home; her passion for Holyoke extends to her volunteer efforts for the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, and the Innovation District Design and Development Task Force, which has worked to generate economic-development progress in the city’s ‘Innovation District’ around the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center.
“Holyoke is a really close-knit community,” said McGee, who was born and raised in the Paper City and is running for city clerk this fall. “When I was working for the representative, I was helping people in the city I love so much, and on the City Council, I’m still able to help people move the city forward.”

— Joseph Bednar

Kelvin Molina

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Community Engagement Coordinator, HAPHousing, age 31

Springfield is a long way — in many respects — from the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Kelvin Molina served during Operation Enduring Freedom as a National Guardsman. But when a tornado hit Western Mass. on June 1, 2011 and devastated a 40-mile swath of homes and businesses in three counties, the scenes of bleakness weren’t much different.
As he took in the devastation from the twister, he recalled, “I was surprised — actually, shocked — but energized in trying to figure out what I had to do.”
Within hours, his Guard unit had been activated to provide logistical support for soldiers in Springfield, Monson, and Brimfield, dealing with a disaster that truly hit close to home for Molina, as the twister rendered his sister homeless.
Three years before, having earned degrees in Regional Planning/Environmental Science and Geographic Information Systems from Westfield State University, he caught the attention of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, landing a transportation-planning position with the agency. Molina moved laterally into community development there, but in 2012, he left for a similar position with HAPHousing that deals exclusively with Springfield, his hometown.
Now, he engages the Springfield community though the nonprofit, which provides assistance for homeless families and various services for homeowners.
“If we can’t answer the questions of people regarding housing,” he said, “we know who to contact, because we’ve been around for 45 years.”
As a recently certified national Neighborworks America leadership trainer, Molina has an additional role helping to train and empower community partners, city leaders, and interested residents to create safe, collaborative, and productive neighborhoods.
“We’ll be conducting training over the next two months,” he said, “and recruit 20 to 25 residents from the South End, Six Corners, and Old Hill neighborhoods and their corresponding councils to meet each other and learn from each other about tools that will empower them to make change.”
Whether he’s in a business shirt or a Kevlar vest, Molina always wants to be there to support and engage people — and transform communities, one neighborhood at a time.

— Elizabeth Taras

Isaac Mass

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Attorney and Owner, Law Office of Isaac J. Mass, age 36

Isaac Mass’s accomplishments include owning a law firm, serving four terms as a Greenfield town councilor, playing an active role in the town’s economic-development efforts, and being feted with a long list of awards and special recognitions. But the father of three girls, who are all named after cities in Massachusetts, says none of this would have been possible if people hadn’t gone out of their way to help him and given him opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities when he was young.
“I came from humble beginnings and grew up in public housing, but a lot of people helped me out,” he said. “I consider myself an old-fashioned country lawyer, enjoy helping others, and have always felt it was my obligation to give back to the community.”
Veterans hold a special place in his heart because Mass served in the Army National Guard for eight years and was deployed to Bosnia during that time. “So, whenever I can, I try to help other veterans,” he said. One case he takes pride in was getting Social Security disability benefits for a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was injured in an IED attack. In addition, Mass was the first defense attorney to obtain inpatient treatment at Soldier On in Northampton as an alternative disposition for a case heard in Greenfield District Court.
Last year, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Mass state ballot commissioner. He has held many civic positions in Greenfield and is active on the Greenfield Community College Alumni Scholarship Committee. He also enjoys aiding young people, and is state chairman of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Loyal Order of the Moose Assoc. Youth Awareness Program and district chair of the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest.
“Nothing makes me happier than watching people I have helped succeed and become involved in the community, whether they are clients or students,” said Mass, whose own drive to give back has led him to coach soccer, judge transactional law meets, and otherwise do all he can to make a difference in Greenfield and Franklin counties.

— Kathleen Mitchell

Danielle Letourneau-Therrien

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, age 39

Danielle Letourneau-Therrien laughed as she explained that she has a magnet in her hand, and there always seems to be metal on the ceiling, no matter what room that ceiling is in.
In other words, whether it’s to raise funds for a student trip, serve as president of her high-school class, cheerlead for her high-school teams, fulfill a vacant city council seat, or serve on a board, that hand seems to be raised, “before I even have time to think about what I’m getting into,” she said.
A temporary job straight out of college landed her at the Northeast Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers workshops and professional-development certificate programs for educators in early elementary education to integrate ‘responsive classroom’ learning into their curriculum.
“It’s basically a social, emotional, and academic learning component that offers a whole-child approach,” explained Letourneau-Therrien. ‘Temporary’ turned into 12 years, but along the way, her never-say-no, get-it-done attitude attracted the attention of neighbors in the Greenfield area. In 2006, she found herself filling a vacant position on the Greenfield City Council, and being elected and re-elected over the next five years.
During that time, her hand shot up when she was approached about a board position with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County. When the executive director position became available in November 2012 after a rewrite of the job description, she found herself saying, “I think they really need someone like me,” and pursued it.
“At some point,” she told BusinessWest, “I stopped saying ‘someone like me’ and looked in the mirror and thought … I really am interested in this position.”
And now that she’s in it, she’s spending more time fund-raising, performing outreach, and handling organization operations, while leaving the micromanagement — mainly matching screened adult mentors with children ages 6-16 — to the talented case workers that have the system down pat.
Still civically involved, Letourneau-Therrien is a recent recipient of the Fortin Family Volunteer Award for community leadership in overseeing the fund-raising and buildout of the Greenfield-based Beacon Playground Project — proving that, personally and professionally, she’s playing for keeps, with a hand always in the air.

— Elizabeth Taras

Jeremy Leap

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Vice President of Commercial Lending, Country Bank, age 32

Patience.
That’s a virtue Jeremy Leap says he lacked while growing up in Johnstown, Pa., and one he didn’t acquire until it became necessary. And it didn’t happen while attending the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School and then the academy itself, or when he left to complete his quest for a degree in Business Management at the University of Pittsburgh.
No, Leap found patience through … bodybuilding, a pursuit inspired by his brother, Ryan, who discovered it earlier, and one that would eventually become a passion and outlet for his competitive nature; he placed second in the novice division at the 2008 Northeast Classic Men’s Amateur Bodybuilding Championship, and sixth in the same event in 2011.
“Competitive bodybuilding teaches you patience, and it was a cool kind of lesson, especially for what I do — commercial lending,” he noted. “Nothing comes quick, nothing comes easy … it always takes time.”
Through patience and commitment, Leap has risen quickly in the local banking sector, moving from commercial credit analyst to vice president of Commercial Lending at People’s United Bank. (He was in that position when nominated for the 40 Under Forty Class of 2013, but recently took that same title with Country Bank in Ware.)
In addition to his professional accomplishments, he has also been active in the community, especially with the group Rick’s Place, which provides a space for children under 18 and their families to receive bereavement support; it was created in memory of Rick Thorpe, who lost his life in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Joining that board was poignant for Leap, whose best friend in fourth grade lost his father, a firefighter, in a blaze — a breaking story that was played over and over on the local news.
“All of a sudden, Richie was a different person, and there was no real outlet for him,” Leap recalled, adding that Rick’s Place now provides that outlet for kids and families who have suffered a similar loss.
Leap has also been involved with the Rotary Club of Springfield, Friends of the Homeless, the United Way Day of Caring, and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and its Young Professionals Cup dodgeball tournament — all of which benefit from his patient determination.

— Elizabeth Taras

Danny Kates

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Partner, Wealth New England, Age 29

Danny Kates takes great pride in his work and the strong relationships he forges with people.

“I enjoy interacting with the community and giving back, and I feel pressure is a privilege,” he said, explaining that, although he often works an 11-hour day, if there are still 70 e-mails waiting to be answered, he reminds himself that they represent 70 people who need his help.

“I always strive to be the person my clients need me to be, and it has really come back to me,” he said, adding that most of his clients are referrals. “They tell me that the work we have done together makes them feel like they have more confidence, clarity, and control over their assets — and that ultimately helps them sleep better, dream bigger, and accomplish more personally, professionally, and financially”.

Kates is a partner at Wealth New England, a non-proprietary insurance and financial-services group. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, prominent business leaders, and more than 200 families. “I work with a great team of people, and put them and my family before myself. It’s the right pattern for living my life.”

As a newlywed, devotion to his wife, Erin, and his closely knit family is foremost in his life, but Kates is also passionate about giving his time to causes he believes in. He has served on the board of directors for eight organizations locally, including the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Center, and dual terms as the executive chair of Northampton Area Young Professionals.

Kates is also passionate about planting seeds of financial hope at the microeconomic level, granting microloans to underprivileged and deserving business people in Africa and South America, including a young man in Peru who has repaired a greenhouse that now feeds his entire community. “I can go to sleep at night knowing I’m part of something larger than myself,” he said. “Someone in this world can now feed his village because of something I contributed to. How cool is that?”

When he is not working or volunteering his time, Kates enjoys spending time with his family, dogs, waterskiing, sailing, and anything related to boats or classic cars.

— Kathleen Mitchell

Mark Jardim

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Director of Information Technology, CMD Technology Group, age 31

As an IT professional, Mark Jardim has spoken numerous times on the topic of disaster recovery and business continuity. His experiences have provided him with valuable insights into the challenges that businesses and organizations face during a crisis. And he can often be found at the scene of real-life disasters as a volunteer emergency medical technician in his hometown of Windsor, Conn.
Jardim began volunteering in third-world countries in high school, and at age 16 he was selected as a Young Ambassador by Parade magazine and sent to Italy. His passion for missionary and philanthropic work continues today, and he is involved with a variety of groups, including a nonprofit organization he helped found that created a school for young girls in Haiti.
The group built, equipped, and managed the facility, and named it the South Windsor Haiti School. “We wanted to get the local community involved,” he explained, adding that the people in Haiti will need ongoing support to maintain the school.
Jardim has also traveled to Mexico six times to help build an orphanage, and has taken part in many other missionary trips with religious organizations. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunities, so I try to give back as much as possible,” he said.
As an active volunteer in his own community, he served as a volunteer emergency medical technician for more than a decade in Windsor and occasionally still rides the ambulance today. In addition, he was the CEO of Windsor Ambulance from 2007 to 2011. “I did a lot to try to improve the quality of the EMS service and worked with the town and the community to be able to provide advanced paramedic service 24/7, which many small towns don’t have,” said Jardim, who received numerous community awards for his EMS contributions.
He also conducts fund-raising for local Eagle Scout projects, serves on the technology advisory board at Manchester Community College, and mentors recent college graduates. “I bring them in to shadow my work and help them with their careers, which is something people did for me,” he said. “It’s all about giving back.”

— Kathleen Mitchell

Xiaolei Hua

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Credit Analyst, PeoplesBank, age 28

Xiaolei Hua deals with two kinds of green on the job, and has found success with both.
Hua joined PeoplesBank right after graduating from UMass Amherst in 2006 and joined the Commercial Lending department in 2010. “I’ve really found my niche there,” he said. “I love it — every day is a new challenge; every loan is different.”
But money isn’t the only type of green he handles. In 2008, Hua founded the bank’s Environmental Committee, which seeks to instill environmentally friendly, sustainable practices into all areas of company operations, from internal recycling programs and an annual environmental fair to a carpool program and support of local farms through a weekly farmers market at the bank.
He’s also been involved in PeoplesBank’s efforts to provide capital to new-energy initiatives, including working with commercial lenders to analyze a $6.5 million deal to finance a local solar project.
“The renewable-energy field is extremely energizing. Most people don’t really understand it, and it’s just kind of taking off,” he said, crediting bank President Doug Bowen and the senior leadership team with supporting a culture of sustainability.
PeoplesBank is no stranger to 40 Under Forty, with two employees in the Class of 2013 joining several past alumni. In fact, Hua was nominated by no fewer than three former winners, including his wife, Kristen Pueschel Hua — whom he met through his work on the Environmental Committee — making the Huas the latest in a growing crop of spousal teams to accept the honor.
“While Xiaolei has been successful with his career path at PeoplesBank,” his wife wrote, “he has also been extremely dedicated to helping support new initiatives at the bank that have gone on to benefit not only the organization and our employees, but also our communities.”
Speaking of communities, Hua is active in civic life, notably as a board member and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
“I’ve always felt that Habitat’s mission is extremely important, to help build affordable housing for low-income families. I think what really struck me when I was first introduced to Habitat was its philosophy of giving families a hand up, not a handout. That’s something I really believe in,” he said. “And when these families succeed, the communities they live in also succeed.”

— Joseph Bednar

Samalid Hogan

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Senior Project Manager, City of Springfield, age 31

Samalid Hogan majored in economics at UMass Amherst and was recruited by a major financial-services firm. But a chance meeting with state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera at one of the many conferences she attended ultimately altered her career path — and her life.
“She was very impressed with me, was looking for a chief of staff, and offered me a job,” Hogan recalled, adding that she accepted and quickly grew into a position with many facets, especially constituency work, that intrigued her.
“I would be the connector, and I really enjoyed that work,” she said, noting that she would eventually move on to a position with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, handling many similar duties, but on a region-wide basis.
Today, she’s still connecting, but in mostly different ways, involving what she really likes — bricks and mortar. Indeed, in her role as senior project manager for the city of Springfield, she likes to say that she’s “connecting neighborhoods, piece by piece by piece.”
She’s doing this through a number of projects and initiatives, all aimed at revitalizing the city and specific neighborhoods. Her résumé highlights are many, including:
• Serving as project manager for the South End revitalization project, an ongoing, $15 million endeavor;
• Acting as co-lead project manager for the Court Square redevelopment project;
• Serving as Springfield’s Small Business Assistance Program manager, overseeing an initiative that has awarded more than $200,000 in storefront grants to Springfield businesses; and
• Acting as the city’s brownfields redevelopment coordinator, handling environmental site assessments and cleanup projects at Union Station, the Gemini site, and other city-owned properties.
Her involvement in the community is just as extensive and diverse. It includes service on the boards of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, OnBoard, the Horace Smith Fund, the Girl Scouts, the Brightwood Community Center, and many others. She’s also District 1 co-chair for DevelopSpringfield/Rebuild Springfield.
Summing up both aspects of her résumé, she said, “I like getting stuff done, and I like being helpful to others and helping improve the lives of other people.” In other words, she’s still connecting, and in ways that are having a profound impact on Springfield and the entire region.

— George O’Brien

Lina Alexandra Hogan

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Associate Lawyer, Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., age 39

As she prepared to enroll in Bay Path College in the fall of 1991, Alex Hogan decided she would be majoring in Travel, “because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and travel sounded like fun.” But then, in her last semester at Hampshire Regional High School, she took a law course that would take her down a different path.
“It really clicked with me — a light had finally come on,” she said of that class, which provided a great deal of simulation regarding what goes on in the courtroom. “I thought, ‘this is what I really want to do with my life. In terms of analytic abilities, problem solving, and rules … that’s who I am.”
So she switched her major to Paralegal Studies and started down a road that would eventually see her joining Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. (where she was a paralegal for several years) as an associate. Today, she’s putting those analytic abilities and problem-solving skills to work in a practice that focuses on litigation, bankruptcy, and business law, while also putting them to use in the community.
Indeed, while proving pro-bono bankruptcy services to individuals who have been diagnosed with AIDS and HIV and have significant financial debt, she also visits classrooms on behalf of Junior Achievement to discuss both financial literacy and workforce readiness, among other contributions of time and energy.
She finds many rewards in both realms of her career.
“People don’t wake up the morning and say, ‘gee, this would be a great day to file for bankruptcy,’” she said, adding that she finds it very rewarding to help people through the financial, legal, and psychological rollercoaster of such a decision. “It’s my job to take the weight of the world off their shoulders and put it on mine.”
As for her work in the classroom talking about financial literacy, she said, “we talk about how people go wrong with spending and credit, and it opens their eyes a little bit. It’s surprising that many kids don’t know what a credit card is or what interest is; it’s rewarding to help them understand.”
Hogan never did get into travel, but for many people, she’s making a world of difference.

— George O’Brien

Annamarie Golden

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Manager of Community Relations and Community Benefits, Baystate Health, age 32

It’s called the Pioneer Valley Community Health Needs Assessment Coalition.
That’s the name given to an initiative involving a number of area hospitals — Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, Baystate Medical Center, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Holyoke Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, and Shriners Hospital for Children — that constitutes an imaginative response to state and federal directives requiring such facilities to compile comprehensive needs assessments involving the cities and towns they serve every three years.
And it was Annamarie Golden, in her capacity as manager of Community Relations and Community Benefits at Baystate Health, who saw the need for, and the benefits to be derived from, such a coalition, and actively engaged administrators at partnering institutions to make it reality.
“Many hospitals do not have dedicated community-benefits staff, and we don’t have a lot of resources lying around for this,” she said. “I looked at the region as a whole and said, ‘we have a lot of hospitals, and our service areas overlap, so let’s come together for the benefit of the community and the patients we serve and do a regional needs assessment.’”
Creation of the coalition is one of many undertakings Golden has led in her position at Baystate, which involves ensuring that federal and state community-benefit regulations and guidelines are met, and that community members are engaged and included in such efforts.
In addition to her professional duties, Golden is also involved in the community through work with the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, which she serves as clerk and executive committee member, and as a strong supporter of the Western Mass. transgender and gay community.
And she’s passionate about another issue — the matter of work/life balance.
As the mother of two, including a 6-month-old, she said she’s keenly aware of the challenges facing people as they try to manage both a family and a career. At Baystate, she’s one of a group of employees working to create a support network that would assist such individuals.
“I’m working with HR to start a group right now, and hopefully we can create a model that can be replicated throughout the organization,” she explained. “There is a definite need for such a program — there are many working mothers who need some support.”

— George O’Brien

Allison Garriss

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Program Director, Clinical & Support Options Inc., age 33

Allison Garriss studied political science in college with the goal of becoming a political consultant, but eventually decided her heart wasn’t in that arena. “I always knew I wanted to help people; I just didn’t know how,” she said.
So she changed her major to sociology and discovered the world of human services. Today, she works at Clinical & Support Options in Northampton, where she developed and now directs RECOVERe, a program that utilizes technology to help women stay sober during substance-abuse recovery.
“Basically, we provide support via text messaging and cell phones, web-based support, and videoconferencing support. It’s very innovative,” she said of the federally funded program.
“Part of what we do is working with people where they’re at,” she explained. “If someone can’t get to therapy on a regular basis, if someone can’t get to a group, when you remove those barriers to treatment and use technology to support them, you can have a major impact on people’s lives.
“It’s exciting,” she added. “Helping guide people on their journey is without a doubt the most gratifying thing about what I do.”
Garriss has also devoted free time to a number of organizations, from the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society to the Women’s Fund of Western Mass. to the Northampton Post 28 American Legion baseball team.
“Each of the organizations I volunteer with holds a very special and unique place in my heart. I don’t volunteer out of obligation or just to sit on a bunch of boards or committees because I think it’s the right thing to do. I like getting in there, contributing … even getting my hands dirty when required.”
It’s just one more way to, as she said, help people.
“Working in human services is not just what I do to pay the bills, but it is my passion. Well, really, people are my passion. I’m not at all ignorant to the life challenges that keep people from being the best possible version of themselves,” Garriss said, noting that every person has faced times of struggle — and she is no different — but making mistakes can be an opportunity to grow.
“Everyone,” she said, “deserves to have someone in their corner.”

— Joseph Bednar

William Gagnon

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 The Class of 2013

Vice President of Marketing, Excel Dryer Inc., age 36

William Gagnon was schooled in professional and personal values by his father, Denis Gagnon. “We have a family business, and he taught me to have strong business morals and ethics, do the right thing, be honorable, and be a person of my word, not only in business but in life,” he said, adding, “I have a strong belief that it’s important to be involved in the community and give back once you become successful.”
Which is exactly what he does in both arenas. Gagnon was involved in the development and marketing of the XLERATOR hand dryer, which has had a positive impact on the environment in addition to leading to a large expansion of Excel Dryer, allowing it to double its staff. “It uses 80% less energy than conventional hand dryers and lowers the carbon footprint of hand drying by 70%, versus even 100% recycled paper towels,” he said.
He is working with the U.S. Building Council on its Green Apple Program through its Center for Green Schools, an initiative to help build healthy and environmentally friendly learning environments for the nation’s students. “I have a passion for sustainability,” Gagnon said.
He is also involved in the local community and is a member of the board of directors for the Children’s Study Home. “It’s a great program that gives children in troubled families an opportunity to succeed in life and school and move on,” he explained. He is also a member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and coaches football and basketball teams at Minnechaug Regional High School.
Gagnon also helped organize and market a golf tournament sponsored by the Anero Sports Agency to benefit victims of 9/11. Closer to home, he helped the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation raise money for families in Western Mass. after the June 2011 tornado. “I wanted to get involved,” he said. “We have family members who lived on the streets of Springfield that were most affected, so it really hit home, and I wanted to help in any way I could.”

— Kathleen Mitchell

Introducing the Class 2013

By BusinessWest Staff April 23, 2013

40 Under 40 Cover Story The Class of 2013

The Young Business and Community Leaders of Western Massachusetts

In 2007, BusinessWest introduced a new recognition program called 40 Under Forty. It was intended as a vehicle for showcasing young talent in the four counties of Western Mass. and, in turn, inspire others to reach higher and do more in their community.
Six years later, it has accomplished all that and much more. The program has become a brand, the awards gala has become one of the most anticipated events of the year, and the 40 Under Forty plaque that sits on one’s desk has become both a coveted prize and symbol of excellence, recognized by all.
On June 20 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke, 40 more plaques will be handed out, to members of a class that is both distinguished and diverse. It includes bankers, lawyers, and accountants, but also a Holyoke city councilor, a contractor who specializes in blitz building, and Springfield’s senior project manager. And it represents virtually every business sector, from healthcare to education; from technology to the nonprofit realm.
With that, we introduce the Class of 2013 with words (enough to explain why they’re an honoree) and pictures that tell a big part of each story, whether the winner is captured with his or her children, dog, company mascot, or even a giant corpuscle. The stories are all different, but the common denominator is that these young individuals possess that most important of qualities: leadership.