Construction employment expanded in 215 metro areas, declined in 80 and was stagnant in 44 between June 2013 and June 2014, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that uncertainty about a range of federal infrastructure and construction programs could weigh on future growth for the sector.
“Contractors have been expanding their work force in about two-thirds of the country for several months in a row,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Some metro areas are adding workers at a strong clip, but the gains remain modest and sporadic in many localities.” Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas added the largest number of construction jobs in the past year (11,700 jobs, 10%), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (10,000 jobs, 9%), Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (8,200 jobs, 7%) and Baton Rouge, La. (5,900 jobs, 13%). The largest percentage gains occurred in Monroe, Mich. (29%, 600 jobs), Lake Charles, La. (25%, 2,700 jobs), Pascagoula, Miss. (25%, 1,500 jobs) and El Centro, Calif. (23%, 500 jobs). The largest job losses from June 2013 to June 2014 were in Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. (-4,200 jobs, -13%), followed by Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. (-2,900 jobs, -3%), Gary, Ind. (-2,300 jobs, -12%) and Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y. (-1,800 jobs, -6 %). The largest percentage decline for the past year was in Cheyenne, Wyo. (-18%, -700 jobs), followed by Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, N.J. (-13%, -300 jobs), Gary, and Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio-W.V. (-12%, -200 jobs). Association officials noted that signs of uncertainty about a range of federal infrastructure and construction programs could undermine future construction employment growth. They urged Congress to quickly pass a “continuing resolution” that would set federal spending levels for next year and to enact long-term surface transportation legislation. Having these measures in place would make it easier for many construction firms to make hiring, purchasing and expansion plans, they added. “Even as the overall economy continues to recover, many firms that work on federally-funded projects are having a hard time making hiring, equipment purchasing and expansion plans,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “It is hard to make sound business decisions when you don’t know how much work will be available in the near future.”
Month: July 2014
WESTFIELD — Based on the survey results of its 2014 Best Firms To Work For competition, ZweigWhite recognized Tighe & Bond as one of the best civil engineering firms to work for in the nation this month. This annual awards competition is based on business practice data collected from numerous participating firms across the country, including feedback solicited through an employee survey. ZweigWhite, a provider of management information and expertise to architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms worldwide, sponsors the program that recognizes the top firms leading the way in creating a work place that inspires, motivates and rewards employees. The competitive ranking that results is based on comprehensive evaluations of factors such as firm culture and workplace practices, employee benefits, career development and growth opportunities, compensation, performance and recognition, as well as recruiting and retention rates. All firms that apply for this prestigious ranking and recognition are evaluated against each other, not a set standard.
“ZweigWhite has recognized Tighe & Bond several times as one of the best engineering firms to work for in the nation, and it is always a significant honor,” said David E. Pinsky, president and CEO of the firm. It also exemplifies our ongoing commitment to create a working environment where all of our employees feel valued and where they can see their contribution to the overall mission and success of the firm and our clients. Our ability to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented staff is crucial to providing the high quality, responsive services that our clients have come to expect and deserve.”
Founded in 1911, Tighe & Bond has offices in Pocasset, Westfield, and Worcester, Mass.; Middletown and Shelton, Conn.; and Portsmouth, N.H. Engineering News Record annually ranks Tighe & Bond among the top design and environmental engineering firms nationally.
NORTH BROOKFIELD — North Brookfield Savings Bank announced that the bank’s merger with FamilyFirst Bank is now complete, effective June 1. The deal, first announced in January 2014, recently became official thanks to approval of the Corporators of North Brookfield Savings Bank, the shareholders of FamilyFirst Bank and the banks’ regulators. With the addition of former FamilyFirst Bank branches, in Ware, Three Rivers Village of Palmer and East Brookfield, Massachusetts, North Brookfield Savings Bank, based in North Brookfield, MA, now includes seven branches in addition to the Business Center at NBSB and online banking components. North Brookfield Savings Bank, founded in 1854, is a mutual savings bank with over $200 million in assets. The bank has received the highest Five Star Superior Bank rating from Bauer Financial for 74 consecutive quarters. The combined bank will have in excess of $260 million in assets.
BOSTON — Massachusetts real gross domestic product grew at an estimated annual rate of 4.9% in the second quarter of 2014 according to the MassBenchmarks Current Economic Index, released Wednesday by MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts economy published by the UMass Donahue Institute in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In contrast, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, national real gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 4.0% in the second quarter based on the advance estimate of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. State and U.S. economic growth bounced back from the surprisingly weak first quarter as labor markets gained strength both locally and nationally. Based on the most recent data available, MassBenchmarks now estimates that in the first quarter of 2014, the state’s economy contracted at an estimated annual rate of 0.3%, while the U.S. economy declined at an annual rate of 2.1%. “The steep downward revision in the estimate of Massachusetts economic growth for the first quarter (originally reported as positive 2.6%) is primarily due to the correspondingly large downward revision in U.S. economic growth in the first quarter, originally reported as positive 0.1%,” noted Alan Clayton-Matthews, MassBenchmarks’ senior contributing editor and associate professor of Economics and Public Policy at Northeastern University, who compiles and analyzes the Current and Leading Indexes. ”The downward revisions in U.S. GDP reflect large reductions in two components — consumer spending and exports — that were most affected by the unusually harsh winter weather. This sharply lowered estimates of national and state productivity growth, meaning fewer business sales per employee and thus a significant reduction in the first quarter estimates of economic growth,” Clayton-Matthews added. Massachusetts payroll employment grew at a 1.7% annual rate in the second quarter, up from 1.2% in the first quarter; while U.S. payroll employment grew at a 2.2% annual rate in the second quarter up from 1.5% in the first quarter. During the second quarter, the unemployment rate in Massachusetts fell from 6.3% (in March) to 5.5% (in June), while the U.S. unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to 6.1% during the same period. Year to date (through June), the state’s unemployment rate has fallen 1.6 percentage points while the national unemployment rate has fallen 0.6 percentage points. Wage and salary income declined at an 11.6% annual rate in the first quarter, as estimated from state withholding taxes. This does not necessarily imply a drop in regular earnings but rather it likely reflects the strong wage and salary income growth over the previous two quarters (12 to 15%) due to bonuses and other non-regular lump-sum wage payments. Year over year (between second quarter 2013 and second quarter 2014), total wage and salary income was up 3.4%. Consumer spending in Massachusetts continued to grow strongly in the second quarter. Spending on items subject to the state’s regular sales and motor vehicles sales taxes — a good proxy for consumer discretionary spending — grew at an annual rate of 7.4% in the second quarter, up from a 6.1% rate in the first quarter. By this measure, year over year (second quarter 2013 to second quarter 2014) spending on these taxable items in the Bay State has grown 7.0%. The MassBenchmarks Leading Economic Index for June was 3.8%, and the three-month average for April through June was 4.0%. The leading index is a forecast of the growth in the current index over the next six months, expressed at an annual rate. Thus, it indicates that the economy is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 3.8% over the next six months (through December 2014).
WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation today announced the formation of the Small Business Retail Council to organize, recruit, and engage Main Street merchants and independent community retailers in grassroots advocacy activities. The council will represent and be responsive to the needs, concerns and interests of local shops, and provide the association’s small business members a forum to discuss the most pressing public policy issues and priorities. “We are bringing together some of the retail sector’s best small business leaders to build upon their integral role in drafting and shaping public policy,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Working with our state retail association partners, we hope to amplify the voice of small retailers in advancing the retail community’s agenda. The Small Business Retail Council will enhance and strengthen the partnership between small business owners and NRF, and optimize industry engagement on our common goals.” The Small Business Retail Council will consist of two co-chairs that will lead a five-to-seven member steering committee that will identify priorities, propose strategies and solutions, and participate in the coordination of grassroots advocacy. Membership on the council will be comprised of independent retailers from around the country as well as small retailers that currently serve on the NRF board of directors, including Dave Ratner of Dave’s Soda and Pet City of Agawam, Massachusetts and Beth Aberg of Random Harvest, Inc. of Washington, D.C. NRF made the announcement during this week’s Retail Advocates Summit, its annual congressional fly-in. More than 150 large and small retailers and state retail association executives are in Washington to advocate on the retail industry’s public policy priorities. Issues discussed include the need to level the sales tax playing field between brick-and-mortar retailers and online sellers, effective patent reform legislation and continued reforms to the swipe fees structure. NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries.
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced today that its two charitable foundations awarded $843,615 in grants from Jan. 1 to June 30 to non-profit organizations across Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont. While the two foundations’ funding focus areas are education and community and economic development projects, they also donated to youth, cultural and human service organizations that provide vital services to the community. Berkshire Bank Foundation Inc. and Berkshire Bank Foundation-Legacy Region, the bank’s two charitable foundations, plan to award $1.6 million this year to non-profit organizations across the bank’s service area. In total, 277 non-profit organizations received grants from the two foundations during the first half of 2014 including the following recent grant award recipients:
Berkshire County
• Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire;
• Dalton CRA;
• Downtown Pittsfield Inc.; and
• Norman Rockwell Museum
Pioneer Valley
• Rebuilding Together Springfield;
• Jewish Geriatric Services; and
• The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center; and
• Roca Inc.
SPRINGFIELD — The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield is seeking nominations for its annual Super 60 awards program. Now in its 25th year, Super 60, formerly the Fabulous 50, celebrates the success of the fastest-growing and privately owned businesses in the region that continue to make significant contributions to the strength of the regional economy. Each year, the program identifies the top-performing companies in revenue growth and total revenue. Last year, one-third of the winners in the revenue growth category experienced growth in excess of 50% with the average growth of all the honorees in that category at more than 49%. Total revenue winners combined for revenues of more than $1 billion, with an average revenue of more than $35 million. To be considered, companies must be based in Hampden or Hampshire county or be a member of the ACCGS, have produced revenues of at least $1 million in the last fiscal year, be an independent and privately-owned company, and be in business for at least three full years. Companies are selected based on their percentage of revenue growth over a full three-year period or total revenues for the latest fiscal year. Companies may be nominated by financial institutions, attorneys, or accountants, or be self-nominated. Companies must submit a nomination form and provide net operating revenue figures for the last three full fiscal years, signed and verified by an independent auditor. All financial information must be reported under generally accepted accounting principles and will be held and considered confidential and not released without prior approval. Nomination forms are available by contacting Kara Cavanaugh at [email protected] or (413) 755-1310. Nominations must be submitted no later than Sept. 5. The Super 60 awards will be presented at the annual luncheon and recognition program on Nov. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam.
CHICOPEE — Buffalo Wild Wings will soon be opening a restaurant at 490 Memorial Dr. Franchisees Martti Matheson and Aaron Miller (a 15-year NHL veteran and Olympian) will open the doors to their restaurant at 11 a.m. on August 18. The eatery will host a charity fundraising event to support Chicopee youth sports Saturday night prior to opening to the public. “We are passionate about youth sports and we make it a priority to get involved when we enter a new community” said Matheson. The new Buffalo Wild Wings features more than 60 flat screen TVs and three projection units for the ultimate sports viewing experience. The restaurant will carry all major sports packages, as well as PPV UFC fights. Its menu includes boneless wings, specialty burgers and sandwiches, finger foods, wraps, salads; and Naked Tenders, non-breaded, all white meat chicken tenders lightly seasoned and served with a choice of one of 21 Buffalo Wild Wings sauces and seasonings. However, the main attraction is Buffalo-style chicken wings. The menu also offers 30 beers on tap and other bar beverages.
“We want to become the neighborhood gathering place,” said Matheson. “Buffalo Wild Wings is a restaurant where guests can pull their tables together, watch sports on TV and share good food and good times.” Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is an established and growing owner, operator, and franchisor of restaurants. The company now has more than 1,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada.
Anzovin Studio Stays on the Cutting Edge of Animation Technology
By KEVIN FLANDERS
Raf Anzovin, left, and David Boutilier, with an image they created for an American Canoe Assoc. public service announcement.
Dedicated to supplying an array of services to clients while regularly improving the tools with which they create their products, the Anzovin Studio staff has mastered an ingenious two-pronged approach. Even when business is thriving, the company challenges itself to refine its practices and streamline its productivity, which serves to benefit both artists and clients.
“It’s amazing to look back and see how far animation has come in the last 15 years,” said Anzovin, who opened the studio in 2000 with his father, Steven Anzovin. “When you compare movies like the first Toy Story to current movies, you’ll see a huge difference in the quality of the characters and the exactness in the way they move. The industry has progressed in leaps and bounds in terms of the quality you’re expected to create. Something that would have been considered good in the ’90s would be viewed as well below average today.”
With that truth constantly in mind, Anzovin and his staff strive each year to develop new software that not only benefits Anzovin Studio artists but also draws the interest of clients. One of the studio’s latest and most successful software products, Anzovin Rig Tools, is expected to provide major advances in the area of character rigging. Because Anzovin’s software programmers and artists work in close collaboration, each new plug-in tool and application serves a specific need, with the ultimate goal of making computer-animated characters as seamless and believable as possible.
“We’re very excited about it — this particular area of animation hasn’t had significant upgrades since the ’90s,” Anzovin said of the new product, which has not yet been brought to market.
If the success of the studio’s previous products is any indication, then Anzovin Rig Tools will be utilized by some of the most prominent players in the industry. In past years, companies like Dreamworks, Disney, and Sony have bought Anzovin’s products, while the studio has consulted with clients like Microsoft, EA, and Hasbro.
“There are certain areas like character rigging where we are really pushing the technology,” added Anzovin, who takes pride in spearheading technological advances.
In short, he told BusinessWest, companies that fail to keep up with the breakneck speed of invention in this industry find it doesn’t take long to fall behind.
Products on All Platforms
In addition to its software-design work, Anzovin Studio produces educational and entertainment content through several media each year. Its art can be seen in everything from commercials to public-service announcements to video games, depending on the client and the request.
Last year, the studio supplied animation for a PSA run by the American Canoe Assoc., a piece that employed cartoon-like characters to convey water-safety tips in a unique manner.
“A lot of times, clients come to us looking to create PSAs that get the point across but also have entertainment value,” said Jake Mazonson, an artist and producer at the studio. “Animation is a good tool to communicate information in a fun, engaging way.”
Anzovin said the studio usually produces art for a handful of TV commercials each year, but that number might rise in future years, because the amount of content featuring animation is expected to increase. With the popularity of video sharing and downloading, the Internet is also a source of boundless potential for animators, especially when distributed across social-media platforms.
Meanwhile, video games have generated solid business as well, with the studio providing cut-scene animations for such games as Halo II, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Da Vinci Code, The Sims Medieval, and Mercenaries II, among others.
“One of the great things about animation is that it can be used as a communication tool but also for entertainment — we often bring those two aspects together in our projects,” Anzovin said.
But the staff’s emphasis isn’t always on fun and entertainment when it comes to video games. The studio frequently contributes animations for instructional games and programs designed for individuals preparing to deal with hazardous law-enforcement and military situations. A recently released training program for the Department of Defense, for example, included art created by Anzovin’s staff to help simulate civilian populations in various locations. The tool will help soldiers learn how to defuse potentially dangerous encounters in highly populated areas.
“It’s really nice when we can help solve problems and serve social purposes,” added Mazonson, who is excited to be working on a new project with the American Canoe Assoc. — an animated memoir of individuals recounting their stories from the water. The project will be funded by a grant allocated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
How It Works
The concepts and methods that drive computer animation can be a little tricky to understand — if not downright mind-boggling at times — but Mazonson described the complexities of creating character-rigging products in remarkably simple terms.
“It’s a lot like making a puppet, with the strings and all of the different parts,” he told BusinessWest. “You have to figure out how to arrange everything in such a way that others will be able to use it.”
Anzovin believes one of the major keys to successful animation is to become a master of movement. Many movie animators have perfected the art to such a degree that, from a distance, animated characters can often be mistaken for actors. Their movements are swift and natural, seemingly enhanced with each movie.
“The goal is to present movement in a believable way,” Anzovin said. “One of the things that movies like Frozen and Tangled do well is combine the subtleties that are possible in computer animation with the graphic quality of movement. At times, you’re trying to create something that is more lifelike and exciting than life itself.”
So how long does it take to create such vivid animations? In terms of average project length — from the initial design stages to completion — a variety of factors come into play. Sometimes a project can be finished in just a few weeks, while other endeavors can last up to two years.
“It depends on the scope of the project and what the client is asking for,” said David Boutilier, vice president of Anzovin Studio. “Every project has a different script and style, and each client has a different level of experience. Some people are experts, while others only have a little experience in animation. All of those things affect how long it takes.”
Above, imagery created by Anzovin Studio for the American Canoe Assoc. Below, animation created for client Squelch Inc.
“Everything was just starting up back then — a wild west,” he recalls. “Even if you had basic abilities in animation, you could make a name for yourself. Everything has come a long way since then.”
After exploring various institutions, Anzovin decided not to attend college because there weren’t many computer-animation programs available. Instead, he went to work with his father, starting off in Amherst and eventually moving into the studio’s current Nonotuck Mill office in 2009. Now, five years after calling the Florence section of Northampton home, the business has become an industry leader in technological innovation, with major companies routinely turning to Anzovin and his staff for consultation.
“The tools you have determine how quickly you can produce things, which is one of the reasons why we create our own products,” Anzovin said. “Animation is a very time-consuming process, but the way we approach it, by developing our own tools, certainly gives us an advantage.”
Added Mazonson, “technology and art are constantly interacting with everything we do.”
Branching Out
Over the next few years, Anzovin hopes to continue consulting with his studio’s partners and also to build new relationships, preferably with local businesses. As one of the only companies in the region focusing heavily on character animation, most of its clients are based outside Massachusetts, many of them in different time zones.
“I think one of the reasons [for the low number of local clients] is a lack of exposure,” Mazonson said. “A lot of people don’t know there’s an animation studio right here in Western Mass.”
One project that might help raise the studio’s profile will take place in the coming year — a collaboration with representatives from Google. Though Anzovin couldn’t get into much detail about the project, he said it will likely involve mobile devices and the creation of tools.
Judging by how far animation has progressed in the last decade, in addition to Anzovin Studio’s commitment to innovation, the company will likely be redefining industry standards for years to come.
MassMutual Invests in Springfield’s Entrepreneurial Future
Nick Fyntrilakis says economic growth in Western Mass. is more likely to spring from a culture of startups than by attracting large employers.
[/caption]It’s not inconceivable, said Nick Fyntrilakis, for a company to set down roots in Springfield and advertise for 300 or 400 jobs. It’s just not likely.
“When you look around here, the idea of getting one company to show up with 300 jobs, that’s an old notion,” Fyntrilakis, vice president of Community Responsibility at MassMutual, told BusinessWest. “That’s gone, at least somewhat, the way of the dinosaur, although I hope it’s not totally gone.”
Rather, he said, “the economy is being driven by small businesses, grass-roots growth, and entrepreneurialism — not 300 people at one firm, but maybe 30 10-person firms.”
But even if that is the new paradigm in Western Mass., communities can’t sit around waiting for those companies to spring up, he added, which is why MassMutual, the region’s largest employer, is investing $6.5 million into efforts to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial success stories.
MassMutual is pouring $5 million of that money into the creation of the Springfield Venture Fund, attempting to cultivate high-potential startups in Springfield. Over the next five years, the fund will invest in startups with business operations currently located in or willing to relocate to Springfield. Target companies will have a defined product or service, be no more than three years old, and boast strong management teams, well-defined and scalable business plans, and high growth potential.
In addition, MassMutual will invest more than $1.5 million over the next three years in a startup accelerator managed by Valley Venture Mentors (VVM), an entrepreneur-mentoring network based in Springfield. The first class of the accelerator will feature 30 startups to be selected through a competitive application process later this summer. DevelopSpringfield, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the city, has been tasked with building out the physical location for the accelerator in the Tower Square building downtown.
“We’re building off a mentorship program that we’ve been running now for three and a half years,” said Scott Foster, an attorney with Bulkley Richardson and president of VVM. More than 45 startups have gone through that program, and more than 350 established entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals have volunteered as mentors at its monthly meetings.
“We had 25 people at the first meeting, and 150 at the most recent one,” he added, noting that the gathering began in a conference room at his law firm but soon had to relocate to the Tower Square food court. “We’ve really built a great community of mentors and people supporting entrepreneurship. The accelerator is just a natural extension of what we’re already doing.”
For this issue’s focus on entrepreneurship, BusinessWest talks to Fyntrilakis and Foster about why MassMutual’s investment makes sense in the long term, and why they believe the Springfield Venture Fund and the VVM accelerator will generate some needed energy and forward momentum in the City of Homes.
Driving Growth
MassMutual’s decision to invest $6.5 million in efforts to nurture entrepreneurship didn’t come about overnight, Fyntrilakis said, but after many conversations with Valley Venture Mentors, River Valley Investors, and other regional organizations dedicated to giving startups the resources they need to succeed.
“I was really excited to learn how much they had achieved, really organically,” he said of VVM. “They started in some vacant office space and grew this thing into a successful operation in which more than 150 people show up once a month, either to participate themselves or be a mentor — or sometimes just listen in and learn.”
Impressed, MassMutual provided a small grant to VVM, but didn’t stop there. “We started having more robust conversations over time, and I started to learn more and more about the entrepreneurial community that exists in this region, and other folks, like River Valley Investors, who are out there making investments in companies,” Fyntrilakis said.
“One thing that struck me is that you could dictate geography based on angel investments,” he added. “You could drive growth to a particular region based on the capital being there. That was exciting.”
With that in mind, the Springfield Venture Fund will target companies that will either locate or relocate in Springfield, he said. “We want them to plant roots here. It’s about being in the city of Springfield.”
Although the nuts and bolts of distributing $5 million over several years is still being worked out, Fyntrilakis said MassMutual doesn’t envision a traditional application process, but a more organic effort to connect with, and receive referrals from, the existing entrepreneurial community, which includes entities like VVM as well as large, for-profit companies.
“As for criteria, the startup has to have some infrastructure in place, a proven product or service, and a scalable market. This is that initial seed capital that can really get them off the ground and up to the next level,” he explained, adding that, if the fund is successful, MassMutual might have conversations down the road about continuing and increasing the investment.
Scott Foster joins other entrepreneurship and economic-development leaders during Gov. Deval Patrick’s visit to the new accelerator space.
At the end of the four months, VVM will award $200,000 to the six startups that have shown the greatest success, judged according to how well they met their goals — and how ambitious those goals were to begin with. “There’s a degree-of-difficulty factor,” Foster said. Several startups will be invited to continue using the accelerator space rent-free for the rest of 2015.
He noted that the accelerator draws plenty of inspiration from MassChallenge, an annual, Boston-based startup competition and accelerator program. “There had been a discussion among business people here to have some kind of business-plan competition, some kind of program to help out new businesses in this area. Once MassChallenge started having success, people saw the economic impact on Massachusetts.
“We’re unabashedly copying what MassChallenge has done,” he added. “We’ve even reached out to MassChallenge, they’re very excited about what we’re doing.”
Foster stressed that the accelerator program will be “industry-agnostic” when considering applicants.
“We know there are strengths in this area; precision manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services are fairly strong,” he said. “But we don’t want to pre-emptively discourage anyone from applying. Teams that come through our mentorship program really run the gamut, from food-based companies to tech firms to Internet companies moving to a more bricks-and-mortar type of service. We’ve seen a wide variety of companies on the mentorship side, and we expect similar variety in the accelerator.”
Meanwhile, nonprofits are just as eligible to apply as for-profit enterprises.
“MassChallenge emphasizes diversity of ideas, diversity of talent, diversity of perspectives,” he noted. “It just adds to the strength and creative ideas there. If you only hang out with people who act like you, think like you, and agree with you, it can be a recipe for disaster.”
Buzz Words
The give-and-take cultivated in a vibrant accelerator creates a buzz that shouldn’t be underestimated, Foster said.
“It creates an energy. People want to be in the space, or want to be involved as mentors,” he said, noting that he expects participants to reflect a similar demographic mix as VVM’s mentorship program, which attracts entrepreneurs from their 20s to their 50s.
And mentors don’t have to be industry-specific, he added. “They have private-sector experience with things all startups need — how to make connections with customers, how to deal with employee issues, how to divide up equity with partners … these are common themes across all businesses.”
No matter how big or small, Fyntrilakis said.
“This really is where job growth is coming from; growth in the economy is coming from the entrepreneurial sector and small-business sector; it’s not coming from the old-line companies adding thousands of employees. Even beyond this region, it’s mostly smaller firms.
“We wanted to capitalize on that, so we’re helping them with capital, helping them with mentoring,” he continued. “Our hope is that, in the next five years, we’ll create at least 100 jobs as a result of this capital being available. In addition to that, we want to support Valley Venture Mentors in their work.”
Foster said MassMutual’s major investment is further validation of what the organization and others like it have been doing. “It reminds people of the importance and reward of supporting entrepreneurs. They’re seeing VVM as a very positive force in this area, something they want to support.
“It also gives us a much bigger megaphone to announce our support of entrepreneurs here in the Pioneer Valley as a whole, and to encourage more and more people to explore their dreams and ideas, see if they can launch them and grow them. It’s pretty darn exciting.”
Smiling, Fyntrilakis laid out a vision of teams of entrepreneurs clustered downtown, working all hours of the night, drinking coffee, and creating something new — and perhaps providing a lift to further economic development in Springfield’s center.
“I think the accelerator can be an epicenter, stimulating other activities, like a chicken-and-egg thing, whether it’s restaurants or retail shops,” he said. “Hopefully we get enough chickens and eggs.”
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
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
165 Merrifield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: UMass Five College FCU
Seller: Lawrence A. Hawks
Date: 06/27/14
65 South St.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Charles M. Deming
Date: 06/20/14
167 West Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Brian K. Puchalski
Seller: Scudder Bay Capital LLC
Date: 06/27/14
COLRAIN
91 Foundry Village Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Gary L. Root
Seller: Nancy M. Purington
Date: 06/23/14
CONWAY
368 Williamsburg Road
Conway, MA 01096
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Jose O. Cruz
Seller: Michael R. Fredette
Date: 06/17/14
DEERFIELD
24 Sugarloaf St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $292,500
Buyer: Alexander G. Alvarado
Seller: Dayna English
Date: 06/24/14
16 West St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: William A. Erman
Seller: Frank J. Skawski
Date: 06/17/14
22 West St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $178,750
Buyer: Nathan K. Adams
Seller: Robert Kostecki
Date: 06/20/14
GILL
97 Boyle Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Nick Ruggiano
Seller: Michael J. Galipault
Date: 06/24/14
38 Center Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $232,500
Buyer: Angela M. Thorp
Seller: Craig E. Billings
Date: 06/23/14
GREENFIELD
111 Bungalow Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $233,500
Buyer: Karen E. Gillespie
Seller: Glatkowski, Edmund P., (Estate)
Date: 06/20/14
9 Devens Ct.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Bruce A. Palmer
Seller: Charles F. Lang
Date: 06/26/14
93 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Stephen W. Oates
Seller: Liane Watts
Date: 06/26/14
61 James St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Sauser
Seller: Laurence C. Flynn
Date: 06/27/14
39 Laurel St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $192,600
Buyer: Brandon Nash
Seller: Chris E. Singley
Date: 06/27/14
333 Log Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $173,500
Buyer: Danielle L. Lutenegger
Seller: Timothy J. Allen
Date: 06/23/14
22 Madison Circle
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Robert L. Varnon
Seller: Faith A. Kaufmann
Date: 06/20/14
69 Oakland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Jeffrey I. Scroggin
Seller: Lynda C. Short
Date: 06/20/14
59 Shattuck St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: John Mallon
Seller: Margaret M. Battelle
Date: 06/19/14
169 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $163,500
Buyer: Walter H. Kleeberg
Seller: Elaine Mundell
Date: 06/19/14
19 Woodleigh Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $182,400
Buyer: Sadie R. Miller
Seller: Robert D. Forman
Date: 06/16/14
HAWLEY
79 Middle Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Elise C. Smart
Seller: Topside Real Estate Agency
Date: 06/20/14
HEATH
64 Route 8A South
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $255,029
Buyer: Fairfield Financial Mortgage Group
Seller: Jason R. Endicott
Date: 06/23/14
LEVERETT
158 Rattlesnake Gutter Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $298,000
Buyer: Justin H. Costa
Seller: John F. Abbott
Date: 06/26/14
LEYDEN
12 Zimmerman Hill Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Robert G. Snedeker
Seller: Franklin Land Trust Inc.
Date: 06/26/14
MONTAGUE
102 Avenue A
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Ruserious LLC
Seller: Karkut IRT
Date: 06/23/14
54 Davis St.
Montague, MA 01301
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Craig E. Billings
Seller: Edward F. Cherwa
Date: 06/23/14
11 South High St.
Montague, MA 01376
Buyer: James B. Cassady
Seller: Fugere, Barbara A., (Estate)
Date: 06/27/14
64 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kimberly H. Bergeron
Seller: Theresa Waryas RET
Date: 06/20/14
NORTHFIELD
210 Birnam Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Carrion
Seller: Scannell, Eileen M., (Estate)
Date: 06/16/14
352 South Mountain Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: David M. Smith
Seller: Craig A. Hall
Date: 06/24/14
ORANGE
162 East Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Christine A. Horn
Seller: Steven J. Corriveau
Date: 06/27/14
130 Town Farm Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michael J. Mallet
Seller: Carol A. Smith
Date: 06/24/14
62 Ward Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Randy A. Coffin
Seller: Brian S. Linstad
Date: 06/27/14
SHELBURNE
208 Peckville Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: West County Cider LLC
Seller: Robert W. McAllister
Date: 06/23/14
WARWICK
100 Shepardson Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Jerad R. Goulston
Seller: Charles H. Morrow
Date: 06/16/14
HAMPDEN COUNTY
AGAWAM
23 Agnoli Place
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $146,800
Buyer: Kostiantyn Lavrynets
Seller: Paul D. Pirnie
Date: 06/27/14
73 Alhambra Circle South
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Heather Boucher
Seller: St. John, Eileen P., (Estate)
Date: 06/26/14
34 Begley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Viki Quick
Seller: Jean E. Tharin
Date: 06/27/14
48 Cedar Knoll Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Anthony M. Ruscio
Seller: W. D. Macwilliams
Date: 06/27/14
46 Central St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Stacey L. Kennedy
Seller: Mary A. Anderson
Date: 06/20/14
226 Colemore St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Julie Peiffer
Seller: Gregory R. Abbey
Date: 06/27/14
185 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Bryan M. Allard
Seller: Jeffrey R. McCarthy
Date: 06/25/14
38 Edward St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Bryan C. Crowther
Seller: James T. Murphy
Date: 06/27/14
75 Forest Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Marc J. Perrone-Rinaldi
Seller: Michael J. Romanko
Date: 06/23/14
67-69 Hope Farms Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Stephen Walsh
Seller: Stanley J. Chmielewski
Date: 06/27/14
56 Lawnwood St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Desere A. Ramsey
Seller: Christopher A. Duby
Date: 06/25/14
167 Meadowbrook Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: Anthony F. Verteramo
Seller: Calvin Tang
Date: 06/20/14
73 North St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Raymond E. Pellerin
Seller: Jean E. Bell
Date: 06/17/14
128 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Stellato RT
Seller: Joseph Kierkla
Date: 06/20/14
143 North St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $186,500
Buyer: Kristy B. Consolini
Seller: Viateur Larochelle
Date: 06/24/14
693 North St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Cynthia A. Williamson
Seller: Sabina Papai
Date: 06/23/14
23 Ottawa St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Sean R. Wandrei
Seller: Donald B. Wandrei
Date: 06/26/14
32 Providence St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Michael A. Dugre
Seller: Walter C. Daviau
Date: 06/17/14
67 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $205,023
Buyer: Robert S. Ferrier
Seller: Bridget C. O’Malley
Date: 06/16/14
108 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $143,900
Buyer: Christopher D. Marble
Seller: FNMA
Date: 06/24/14
345 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $146,500
Buyer: Joseph P. Catanzarite
Seller: Peter J. Johnson
Date: 06/26/14
955 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Telman K. Bilalov
Seller: Aleksandr Chuduk
Date: 06/25/14
10 Upton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Crystal L. Pajak
Seller: Robert B. Carroll
Date: 06/17/14
35 Valley Brook Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Karam
Seller: Philip L. Percy
Date: 06/27/14
42 Warren St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $417,500
Buyer: Melissa Lariviere
Seller: Hillcrest Capital Partner
Date: 06/27/14
21-23 Winthrop St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Stephen M. Buynicki
Seller: Gertrude Y. Spagnoli
Date: 06/26/14
CHESTER
117 Bromley Road
Chester, MA 01050
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Edward L. Meacham
Seller: Ardelle M. Diamond
Date: 06/20/14
698 Skyline Trail
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Eric J. Whitaker
Seller: Zielonka, Wladyslaw, (Estate)
Date: 06/25/14
CHICOPEE
109 Church St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Manasa LLC
Seller: Walter E. Gazda
Date: 06/25/14
54 Debra Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Larochelle
Seller: Mary L. Curro
Date: 06/27/14
980 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Dwayne Pafumi
Seller: Nowaks Auto Realty LLC
Date: 06/26/14
245 East St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Marwan Awkal
Seller: Donald V. Davis
293 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Laurenz F. Weimann
Seller: Janet C. Goodman
Date: 06/26/14
95 Fernwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Nicole L. Beebe
Seller: Michael W. Cormier
Date: 06/26/14
166 Hendrick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Anna Delossantos
Seller: David Merritt
Date: 06/20/14
1 Huntington Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Luke S. Vicente
Seller: Michelle R. Roy
Date: 06/20/14
81 Jacob St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jorge Ruiz
Seller: Virginia L. Miller
Date: 06/27/14
183 Lafayette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $173,500
Buyer: Pavel Pushkarev
Seller: David C. Martel
Date: 06/26/14
1697 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Stephanie S. Crews
Seller: Mary M. Lepkowski
Date: 06/25/14
129 Moore St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Philip R. Percy
Seller: Anthony M. Piela
Date: 06/27/14
114 New York Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: David E. Barnaby
Seller: Albert J. Salva
Date: 06/27/14
11 Rivers Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $122,130
Buyer: Wilmington Savings Fund Trust
Seller: Ivette Santos
Date: 06/19/14
69 Truro St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Richard S. Mongeau
Seller: Richard S. Soja
Date: 06/27/14
38 Whitman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Josefina Soto
Seller: Lucia Miranda
Date: 06/27/14
EAST LONGMEADOW
19 Alvin St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Savannah A. Skiff
Seller: Sean E. Woodard
Date: 06/27/14
88 Birch Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Anthony V. Chiusano
Seller: Laura A. Mushenko
Date: 06/27/14
22 Braeburn Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Shaughn M. Dermody
Seller: James E. Brown
Date: 06/25/14
235 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Erin L. Beck
Seller: Mary D. Main
Date: 06/27/14
41 Evergreen Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Robert Tirrell
Seller: Corey R. Lucier
Date: 06/16/14
6 Glynn Farms Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $327,500
Buyer: Timothy R. Balut
Seller: John J. Stevens
Date: 06/20/14
4 Hedgerow Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Timber Development LLC
Seller: Ward, William J., (Estate)
Date: 06/27/14
23 Kenneth Lunden Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $331,150
Buyer: Michael T. Barbieri
Seller: Robert Tannen
Date: 06/24/14
64 Lee St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Robert Sopet
Seller: Kathy R. Caulton
Date: 06/27/14
6 Marshall St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Richard J. Webber
Seller: Richard M. Marble
Date: 06/20/14
227 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,300,000
Buyer: Leonard E. Belcher Inc.
Seller: Chalmers Enterprises LLC
Date: 06/19/14
30 Vreeland Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $260,900
Buyer: Elizabeth O’Neill-Sheehan
Seller: NU Way Homes Inc.
Date: 06/26/14
HAMPDEN
778 Main St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Marcey Lindley
Seller: Lance W. Trevallion
Date: 06/26/14
104 South Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Thomas O’Connor
Seller: Walter K. McLaughlin
Date: 06/24/14
41 Thresher Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $636,962
Buyer: Country Bank for Savings
Seller: Peter W. Sackrider
Date: 06/17/14
HOLLAND
1 Forest Ct.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Tiffany M. Letendre
Seller: Amber L. Macwhinnie
Date: 06/24/14
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Keith T. Elmy
Seller: Sharon M. Suschana
Date: 06/27/14
HOLYOKE
393 Apremont Hwy.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Lizandro Cruz
Seller: Edward L. Beaudry
Date: 06/17/14
25 Bay State Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Elizabeth M. O’Dair
Seller: Andrea B. Leydon
Date: 06/27/14
85 Beacon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Alexander D. Webster
Seller: Francis J. Boudreau
Date: 06/16/14
22-24 Brookline Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Behnam Roohi
Seller: John R. Rigalis
Date: 06/16/14
3 Claren Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Gisela Costas
Seller: Timothy P. Ganieany
Date: 06/23/14
88 Dartmouth St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Charles C. Johnson
Seller: Daniel M. Glanville
Date: 06/17/14
65 Fairfield Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Crowley
Seller: Michael T. Siciliano
Date: 06/25/14
19 Florence Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Ashley A. Batlle
Seller: 21st Mortgage Corp.
Date: 06/20/14
510 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Rosa N. Izquierdo
Seller: Roland J. Laverdiere
Date: 06/27/14
4 Timber Lane
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Morgan L. Jones
Seller: Roger V. Singh
Date: 06/18/14
24 Vassar Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Home Improvement Assocs.
Seller: HSBC Bank USA
Date: 06/27/14
LONGMEADOW
20 Brittany Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Danielle Macinnes
Date: 06/27/14
62 Chatham Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Mary Ellis
Seller: Michael R. Favreau
Date: 06/26/14
60 Cheshire Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Bryan Gross
Seller: Cynthia M. Galloni
Date: 06/16/14
39 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Taylor A. Buckholz
Seller: James G. Jones
Date: 06/19/14
86 Coventry Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $344,000
Buyer: Navatha Hannumagutti
Seller: Daniel C. Webster
Date: 06/19/14
44 Dunsany Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Ariel Karolinski
Seller: Andrew R. Maynard
Date: 06/20/14
31 Lincoln Park
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Andrew C. Nichols
Seller: Mary M. Ellis
Date: 06/26/14
98 Longfellow Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $313,000
Buyer: Gregory J. Jones
Seller: Matthew R. Desmarais
Date: 06/19/14
233 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Justin D. Franczek
Seller: Thomas J. Kent
Date: 06/19/14
20 Pinewood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $512,000
Buyer: Vijay Gaddam
Seller: Edward P. Borowsky
Date: 06/23/14
764 Shaker Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Alan B. Cunningham
Seller: Richard M. Stevens
Date: 06/20/14
160 Wild Grove Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $517,000
Buyer: Michael W. Smith
Seller: Patricia G. Burden
Date: 06/26/14
325 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: Nathan E. Pearce
Seller: Eric Day
Date: 06/17/14
347 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Wayne M. Robinson
Seller: Nazera A. Hynes
Date: 06/19/14
371 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Brian M. Quinn
Seller: Maryann Elkas
Date: 06/20/14
636 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Jeffrey D. McDonald
Seller: William J. Scott
Date: 06/16/14
LUDLOW
12 Barre Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: David Dominique
Seller: Michel S. Lebel
Date: 06/20/14
17 Brimfield St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Kelly Herlihy
Date: 06/17/14
31 Dowd Ct.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $327,500
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Fortune
Seller: David N. Vermette
Date: 06/27/14
58 Essex St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,250
Buyer: Violeta Alvarado
Seller: WMass Residential LLC
Date: 06/20/14
153 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Michael A. Blake
Seller: Ezequiel D. Mauricio
Date: 06/16/14
111 Longview Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Joseph J. Arnone
Seller: Michael J. Doherty
Date: 06/27/14
189 Poole St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Michael W. Deschamps
Seller: Christine M. Janik
Date: 06/27/14
41 Susan Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Patrick D. Meffen
Seller: Armand Bazegian
Date: 06/23/14
220 Ventura St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Kevin Czaplicki
Seller: Paul E. Hillsburg
Date: 06/17/14
MONSON
200 Brimfield Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Michael J. Koske
Seller: Lisa A. Cecchini
Date: 06/24/14
1 Main St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $149,900
Buyer: Cynthia Demers
Seller: David J. Fox
Date: 06/20/14
214 Munn Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $244,900
Buyer: Daniel J. Gackowski
Seller: David F. Bourcier
Date: 06/24/14
21 State St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Cara A. Lattell
Seller: Whitney M. Osborn
Date: 06/27/14
66 Zuell Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Hurley
Seller: Debra A. Davis
Date: 06/24/14
MONTGOMERY
93 Pomeroy Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Colin D. Neylon
Seller: William M. Leahy
Date: 06/23/14
77 Thomas Road
Montgomery, MA 01050
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Wesley F. Fortier
Seller: James P. Hebert
Date: 06/24/14
PALMER
3 Country Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $227,630
Buyer: Jonathan B. Flebotte
Seller: Ghislaine M. Lizak
Date: 06/27/14
15 Memory Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $232,500
Buyer: Matthew J. Cartier
Seller: David H. Benedetti
Date: 06/26/14
70 Squier St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Country Bank for Savings
Seller: Zabadiah E. Morin
Date: 06/19/14
312 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Kailee Kozlik
Seller: Strom, Steven W., (Estate)
Date: 06/27/14
SPRINGFIELD
100-102 Acushnet Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Waseem Mudasar
Seller: Michael J. Sibilia
Date: 06/16/14
266 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Aaliyah LLC
Seller: Tedeschi Food Shops Inc.
Date: 06/23/14
15 Burns Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $118,500
Buyer: Alice L. Dezan
Seller: Janice M. Messier
Date: 06/27/14
180 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Jeremy E. Lindsay
Seller: Erin Keane
Date: 06/27/14
78 Chauncey Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $144,500
Buyer: Alice A. Baiyee
Seller: George Santos
Date: 06/20/14
108 Corey Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Robert S. Lane
Seller: Joan M. Clark
Date: 06/26/14
54 Cumberland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Mister Mister LLC
Seller: Braemore 21 LLC
Date: 06/25/14
145 Dartmouth Terrace
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Marcia P. Tricoche
Seller: James V. Delorge
Date: 06/20/14
222 Dayton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Henry A. Urena
Seller: Alda Luvera
Date: 06/16/14
285 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Andrea M. Strom
Seller: John Labrecque
Date: 06/27/14
54 Ferncliff Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $127,000
Seller: Sara M. Lantaigne
Date: 06/16/14
330 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $186,900
Buyer: Miguel A. Roman
Seller: Wayne A. Freeman
Date: 06/18/14
20 Green Way
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ganga Tiwari
Seller: Gonzalo A. Chacon
Date: 06/17/14
121 Hartford Terrace
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Chelsea E. Ferguson
Seller: William R. Clow
Date: 06/25/14
43 Helberg Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Maria D. Morales
Seller: Tawnya A. Valentine
Date: 06/23/14
53 Helberg Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: William P. Talty
Seller: Ellen H. Alpert
Date: 06/26/14
114 Huron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Vivian Pabon
Seller: Kelli D. Kefalas
Date: 06/27/14
59 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $152,500
Buyer: Sylvia Staub
Seller: Sean Boardway
Date: 06/23/14
314 Longhill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Thomas W. Bolick
Seller: Kevin E. Hines
Date: 06/27/14
88 Margerie St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Jesenia Santiago
Seller: James W. Fiore
Date: 06/27/14
48 Morris St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $140,729
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Von M. Morales
Date: 06/24/14
105 Nagle St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Adriano G. Machado
Seller: Dorothy Belanger
Date: 06/20/14
299 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Jennifer V. Gautier
Seller: Kristie L. Larosa
Date: 06/23/14
224 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Zahra Taqi
Seller: JJS Capital Investment
Date: 06/27/14
420 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Orchard Auto Wrecking Inc.
Seller: Dwayne Pafumi
Date: 06/26/14
85 Old Farm Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Shirley L. Rodriguez
Seller: I Buysellhomes LLC
Date: 06/27/14
133 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $132,990
Buyer: Randy L. Knoll
Seller: Dorothy F. Brodrick
Date: 06/24/14
220 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Maribel Acevedo
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 06/27/14
269 Seymour Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Harry Berrios
Seller: Roberto Medina
Date: 06/20/14
267 Shawmut St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Edwar Velazquez-Gonzalez
Seller: Calvin C. Fox
Date: 06/23/14
65 Signal Hill Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Samuel Baidoo
Seller: Stanley Czaplicki
Date: 06/27/14
676 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Marvin Lovett
Seller: I Buysellhomes LLC
Date: 06/27/14
Sunnybrook Road
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $247,301
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Linda Bennett
Date: 06/17/14
73 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: HSBC Bank USA
Seller: Suzanne Murphy
Date: 06/23/14
67 Vincent St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Michele K. Medina
Seller: Carl T. Makuch
Date: 06/19/14
SOUTHWICK
12 Deer Run
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $405,500
Buyer: Jeffrey R. McCarthy
Seller: Steven F. Morrison
Date: 06/27/14
3 Hunters Ridge Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Kevin C. Stiles
Seller: James R. Dunn
Date: 06/20/14
27 Lakeview St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Bertrand
Seller: Adam Nicholas
Date: 06/27/14
4 Maple St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Brett D. Colson
Seller: Patricia P. Orlandi
Date: 06/17/14
14 Sterrett Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Robert L. Foskitt
Seller: Jeffrey W. Hart
Date: 06/23/14
WALES
98 Main St.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Perri
Seller: Kenneth S. Longtin
Date: 06/27/14
87 Mount Hitchcock Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Bush IRT
Seller: Henry E. Peach
Date: 06/20/14
16 Reed Hill Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Joel A. Orengo
Seller: Shaun P. Conroy
Date: 06/26/14
WESTFIELD
21 Dana St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Dmitriy Girich
Seller: Jacqueline M. Curran
Date: 06/17/14
15 Demond Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Joshua E. Redfern
Seller: Andrew J. Golden
Date: 06/18/14
894 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Jeremy Gold
Seller: John A. Gallo
Date: 06/18/14
43 Elizabeth Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Joseph M. Heneghan
Seller: Pok I. Szavoick
Date: 06/17/14
21 Foss St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Erica M. Bradstreet
Seller: Michael S. Ingraham
Date: 06/20/14
11 Hamilton Way
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: William C. Mullen
Date: 06/25/14
28 King St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Eric Charest
Seller: Stephen K. Phillips
Date: 06/24/14
19 Lozier Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $123,375
Buyer: Joseph J. Malcovsky
Seller: Malcovsky, Katherine M., (Estate)
Date: 06/18/14
183 Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $148,500
Buyer: Ilya A. Katykhin
Seller: Samel, John J., (Estate)
Date: 06/16/14
3 Maria Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Cassandra J. Garlo
Seller: James Lamountain
Date: 06/27/14
90 Northridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $237,400
Buyer: Robert F. Gazda
Seller: Corey J. Hinckley
Date: 06/23/14
12 Northwest Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Daina Vilinskis
Seller: William C. Sibley
Date: 06/16/14
15 Pleasant St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Derek R. Berard
Seller: Raymond P. Manos
Date: 06/20/14
1074 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Paul J. Gallagher
Seller: Goguen, Riger J., (Estate)
Date: 06/20/14
15 Sunbriar Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Volodymyr Stetsyuk
Seller: James T. Krupienski
Date: 06/27/14
25 Tiffany Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Robert T. Goyette
Seller: Nancy K. McBride
Date: 06/18/14
19 Tow Path Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: George J. Sobczyk
Seller: Gaylyn F. Heishman
Date: 06/27/14
32 Waterford Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $369,500
Buyer: Azra Peysakov
Seller: Jason A. Cromack
Date: 06/25/14
WILBRAHAM
3161 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Joshua Brodeur
Seller: Gary C. Roy
Date: 06/27/14
19 Briar Cliff Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Grozio
Seller: Gregory W. Hauber
Date: 06/20/14
8 Bulkley Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Stacy H. Hagenbaugh
Seller: Joseph Salvador
Date: 06/16/14
22 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $141,500
Buyer: Sarah E. Buckley
Seller: FNMA
Date: 06/20/14
19 Millbrook Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $343,000
Buyer: Gary N. Stone
Seller: John W. Tarbell
Date: 06/16/14
568 Ridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Theodore D. Chesbro
Seller: Richard P. Benton
Date: 06/20/14
9 Westernview Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $239,600
Buyer: Shirley A. Babcock
Seller: Diana M. Hecht
Date: 06/26/14
WEST SPRINGFIELD
26 Clarence St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jesse D. Palermo
Seller: Robert A. Bishop
Date: 06/27/14
79 Ely Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Kristopher M. Forrette
Seller: Jessica A. Wozniak
Date: 06/19/14
25 Fairview Ave.
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: JWK Real Estate LLC
Seller: Karl F. Schwarzkopf
Date: 06/20/14
49 Fairview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Battista & Sons Property Management
Seller: Kim M. Arsenault
Date: 06/27/14
52 Glenview Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Daniel T. Kane
Seller: Mark J. Gedmin
Date: 06/25/14
31 Guy Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Stephen M. Buynicki
Seller: Cardinal Homes Inc.
Date: 06/26/14
47 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Shauna N. Bennett
Seller: Christopher C. Robison
Date: 06/18/14
49 Heywood Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: James T. Birchall
Seller: Patrick J. O’Toole
Date: 06/27/14
11 Ivy Hollow Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Patricia A. Connors
Seller: Beech Hill Construction Inc.
Date: 06/18/14
56 Janet St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Christina L. Palazzi
Seller: Denis Lamontagne
Date: 06/27/14
330 Massachusetts Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $204,900
Buyer: Gina C. Rondeau
Seller: Gary N. Stone
Date: 06/23/14
68 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: James L. Williford
Seller: Christie W. Amsden
Date: 06/24/14
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
AMHERST
194 Amity St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $599,000
Buyer: Chabad At 5 Colleges Inc.
Seller: Vernon D. Turner
Date: 06/16/14
Belchertown Road #MULTI
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Town Of Amherst
Seller: Kestrel Land Trust
Date: 06/24/14
57 Berkshire Terrace
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Stella S. Offner
Seller: Wilburn FT
Date: 06/27/14
26 Beston St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Janet L. Howard
Seller: Michelle A. O’Neill
Date: 06/23/14
70 Eames Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Kathy A. Weilerstein
Seller: Kristin B. Leutz
Date: 06/26/14
116 High St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $422,000
Buyer: Simon C. Leutz
Seller: Kevin J. Eddings
Date: 06/27/14
Market Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: Town Of Amherst
Seller: W. D. Cowls Inc.
Date: 06/20/14
371 Montague Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $339,000
Buyer: John J. Campbell
Seller: Kenton Tharp
Date: 06/18/14
11 Moss Ln.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $211,000
Buyer: Weibin Zhang
Seller: Michael J. McLaughlin
Date: 06/17/14
487 Old Farm Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Daniel Miller
Seller: Christine M. Barsby
Date: 06/27/14
40 Spaulding St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Clifton K. Jay
Seller: Alan Kennedy
Date: 06/20/14
BELCHERTOWN
151 Aldrich St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: John K. Horvath
Seller: James Rippa
Date: 06/20/14
101 Channel Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Melissa L. Roser
Seller: Lisa A. Hicks LT
Date: 06/16/14
Daniel Shays Hwy.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Town Of Belchertown
Seller: W. S. Gerrish
Date: 06/26/14
258 Gulf Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Andrew C. Hulse
Seller: Eileen Howard
Date: 06/26/14
44 Juckett Hill Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Tessa Stuart
Seller: William T. O’Connell
Date: 06/27/14
51 Oasis St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Marco H. Matarazzo
Seller: Lori M. Smith
Date: 06/26/14
404 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Charron
Seller: M. J. Amara-Lemire
Date: 06/23/14
46 Underwood St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Jonathan T. Menard
Seller: John C. Farr
Date: 06/18/14
50 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $403,000
Buyer: John P. Labrecque
Seller: Laura A. Duquette
Date: 06/27/14
95 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $190,500
Buyer: Benjamin S. Jones
Seller: Irene F. Hearold
Date: 06/19/14
11 Willow St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Shaink
Seller: Cheri Ulrich
Date: 06/27/14
CHESTERFIELD
48 South St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Ronald P. Imig
Seller: Emerson J. Batchelder
Date: 06/20/14
EASTHAMPTON
2 Apple Tree Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jacqueline L. Mandile
Seller: Karen L. Malouin
Date: 06/26/14
31 Ashley Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $319,900
Buyer: Cara E. Caminiti
Seller: Robert M. Harrison
Date: 06/17/14
38 Everett St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Robert E. O’Connell
Seller: John J. Higuera
Date: 06/16/14
23 Gula Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Tracy L. Routhier
Seller: Ann M. Boruchowski
Date: 06/20/14
16-18 Knipfer Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $243,700
Buyer: Stephen V. Silluzio
Seller: Kevin C. Netto
Date: 06/20/14
135 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: David R. Bartone
Seller: Jeffrey J. Wallace
Date: 06/16/14
312 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jeffrey S. Mason
Seller: Tamara Kupfer
Date: 06/16/14
9 West Green St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $161,500
Buyer: Erin E. Kolasinski
Seller: Melissa L. Zawadzki
Date: 06/20/14
110 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jake E. McCormick
Seller: David L. Fontaine
Date: 06/20/14
GOSHEN
6 Lake Dr.
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $125,200
Buyer: Ellen C. Putnam
Seller: Elizabeth Starr
Date: 06/27/14
23 South Main St.
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Karen J. Stevens
Seller: Judith E. Moynahan
Date: 06/16/14
GRANBY
16 Acrebrook Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.
Seller: Donna L. Helm
Date: 06/27/14
52 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Anthony Colozzi
Seller: Kimberly J. Hinkley
Date: 06/27/14
Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $230,600
Buyer: Mass. Commission Conservation and Recreation
Seller: Partyka Partners LP
Date: 06/26/14
HADLEY
5 Meadow St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jason J. Goodhind
Seller: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Date: 06/20/14
194 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Richard J. Buckowski
Seller: Joseph E. Kulis
Date: 06/26/14
29 Shattuck Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Mark G. Smith
Seller: Kathleen K. Bame
Date: 06/24/14
17 Sylvia Hts.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $589,250
Buyer: Toan Do
Seller: Joseph F. Long
Date: 06/20/14
HATFIELD
11 King St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $199,250
Buyer: Corey Lebeau
Seller: Thomas J. Labelle
Date: 06/19/14
6 South St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jason M. Antosz
Seller: Mary E. Tacy
Date: 06/20/14
MIDDLEFIELD
245 Skyline Trail
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Marjorie Hershberg
Seller: Louise C. Gazda
Date: 06/23/14
NORTHAMPTON
32 Adare Place
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $484,000
Buyer: Perry L. Cohen
Seller: Paula Sakey
Date: 06/23/14
9 Bernache St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Joanna H. Smith
Seller: Alice B. Barr
Date: 06/24/14
31 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Cyrus H. Yau
Seller: John P. Cloutier
Date: 06/26/14
1226 Burts Pit Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Joy C. Jansen
Seller: Andrus, Richard W., (Estate)
Date: 06/24/14
34 Cahillane Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $189,500
Buyer: Lacey A. Moore
Seller: Lynn R. Newdome
Date: 06/16/14
100 Chestnut St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Robert J. Sullivan
Seller: Maureen A. Carney
Date: 06/27/14
26 Conz St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $240,000
Seller: Valerie Durant
Date: 06/20/14
100 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $538,000
Buyer: Julie Starr
Seller: Stephen Ferrari
Date: 06/25/14
8 Garfield Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Mary C. Skinner
Seller: Anne M. Lucey
Date: 06/27/14
20 Greenleaf Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $564,000
Buyer: Frances P. Hack
Seller: Blaine A. Drysdale
Date: 06/17/14
241 Haydenville Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Edwin V. Bishop
Seller: Girl Scouts of Central and Western Mass.
Date: 06/20/14
666 Kennedy Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Gail Hartnett
Seller: Christenson, Russell W., (Estate)
Date: 06/24/14
9 Leonard St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $339,000
Buyer: Susan F. O’Neill
Seller: Karen L. Marney
Date: 06/16/14
17 Madison Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $740,000
Buyer: Clara E. Barnhart
Seller: Michael L. Marotta
Date: 06/17/14
148 Maple Ridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $718,000
Buyer: Michael Lew
Seller: Roberta G. Laga
Date: 06/27/14
21 Middle St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Michael L. Harrington
Seller: Gordon W. Tibbetts
Date: 06/19/14
10 Mountain Laurel Path
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Kristin Mueller-Dembling
Seller: Carolyn T. Oppenheim
Date: 06/18/14
69 North Maple St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Rebecca C. Flynn
Seller: Amy Pearsall
Date: 06/23/14
311 Riverside Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Steve Ozcelik
Seller: Mt. Tom Properties LLC
Date: 06/27/14
17 Stoddard St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $451,000
Buyer: Alicia G. Purdy
Seller: Laura A. Battles LT
Date: 06/24/14
50 Walnut St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $378,500
Buyer: Fred W. Gohr
Seller: Asha R. Nadkarni
Date: 06/27/14
40 Winterberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Donna E. Lisker
Seller: Gail E. Scordilis
Date: 06/27/14
SOUTH HADLEY
35 Alvord St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $346,500
Buyer: Carole C. Bielizna
Seller: Jessica D. Zepke
Date: 06/17/14
170 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Michael J. Evans
Seller: Karl E. Reale
Date: 06/20/14
45 Fairview St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: Patrick J. Spring
Seller: Betty B. Foley
Date: 06/26/14
340 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $121,500
Buyer: Glen E. Kotfila
Seller: Randall E. Hess
Date: 06/18/14
13 Karen Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Kirsten Doolittle
Seller: Mary B. Craig
Date: 06/26/14
51 Lawn St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Karl E. Reale
Seller: Edward J. Lavallee
Date: 06/20/14
41 Red Bridge Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Karen B. Rippa
Seller: Raymond L. Brousseau
Date: 06/20/14
95 River Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Megan E. Kludt
Seller: William T. Lyle
Date: 06/20/14
17 Sunset Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $194,500
Buyer: Thomas C. Labrie
Seller: Margaret Schulz
Date: 06/27/14
12 Sycamore Knolls
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Kelly A. Gray
Seller: Betty J. Giles
Date: 06/19/14
SOUTHAMPTON
242 College Highway
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: F&G LLC
Seller: Jeffrey D. Starcun
Date: 06/27/14
3 Crooked Ledge Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Barry L. Searle
Seller: Edward C. Searle IRT
Date: 06/25/14
8 David St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $960,000
Buyer: David Garstka Builders
Seller: Joanne C. Sinkwich
Date: 06/25/14
52 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Eli R. Stark
Seller: Malanson, Louis G., (Estate)
Date: 06/27/14
51 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nelson P. Lacey
Seller: Jeanette Enko
Date: 06/17/14
81 Gunn Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $346,000
Buyer: Michael R. Fredette
Seller: Sonia R. Hillios
Date: 06/17/14
46 Miller Ave.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Mark G. Lawrence
Seller: John Mallon
Date: 06/19/14
111 Pleasant St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $255,900
Buyer: Stacey Schmeidel
Seller: Gauri Luthra
Date: 06/23/14
153 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $245,500
Buyer: Mark Hardy
Seller: Patricia A. Boyle
Date: 06/27/14
WARE
51st Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: John J. Curylo
Seller: Anitra J. Pique
Date: 06/27/14
Walker Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Richard J. Mann
Seller: Joanne M. Demers
Date: 06/23/14
229 West St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Mark J. Daigle
Seller: Connie A. Daigle
Date: 06/26/14
WESTHAMPTON
11 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Evan G. Scott
Seller: Brandy K. Buschini
Date: 06/27/14
WILLIAMSBURG
7 Depot Road
Williamsburg, MA 01038
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Liv I. Pertzoff
Seller: Heather A. Labonte
Date: 06/25/14
45 South Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Jacob F. Smith
Seller: Karen J. McElroy
Date: 06/27/14
Cooper’s Commons Complex Is Shaping Itself into a Destination
Kate Gourde
“I felt like I had been neglecting my own business and was anxious to really sink my teeth back into it,” she told BusinessWest, using some intriguing language to sum up what she and her husband, Robert, have been doing for the past three years.
This would be a comprehensive conversion of the former Country Squire Furniture Shop on Main Street in Agawam into a home for a host of small, and complementary, businesses — a project that is far from complete, but has advanced to the point where Gourde feels comfortable spending much more time at Cooper’s, which is located directly behind the landmark named after Ensign Thomas Cooper, the Civil War naval hero who once lived there.
Only a few small spaces in the 14,000-square-foot building on Main Street in Agawam are not occupied, and plans are emerging for those rooms as well. And as the business names on the large sign on the front lawn reveal, the repositioning of this property has gone pretty much according to the vision that Gourde related when BusinessWest first talked with her in February 2012.
Indeed, as she led a tour of the property back then, Gourde pointed to a large space at the front she thought would be ideal for a small restaurant. It is now home to the Squire’s Bistro, operated by Fred Withee, former owner of Storrowton Village. Likewise, she said another two-room space toward the front would be ideal for a hair salon — it is now occupied by Shear Techniques, which moved roughly a mile down Main Street — and that a large space toward the back of the property would be perfect for a dance studio; LHQ Danceforce & Wellness has set up shop there.
These ventures have been joined by a consulting business, a skin salon, a massage therapist, the Individual and Family Counseling Center, Dupre Hypnosis, and even state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, who set up his regional office there last fall.
Not everything has gone according to the script, certainly, said Gourde, who noted that some early tenants had short stays, promoting more due diligence before leasing out space. Overall, she described the conversion as both a “journey” and a “learning experience on many levels,” as she and her husband have added ‘landlord’ to their professional résumés. But the blank canvas that existed in the winter of 2012 has been filled in pretty much as they envisioned it would be.
What remains is more hard work to make Cooper’s Commons the destination that the Gourdes intend it to be. This includes effective marketing of the complex, she said, adding there has been use of a website, social media, and some television spots to promote the location as a place to “spend an hour or spend a day.”
“We’ve done our best to continue to work on the branding of the location and the promotion of the location to help all of our tenants move forward,” she explained. “That’s all we want — to see everyone take care of their own business and do well.”
For this issue and its focus on commercial real estate, BusinessWest talked at length with Gourde and some of her tenants about how Cooper’s Commons has come together, and what the future holds for what all those involved hope will become a retail destination.
New Lease on Life
Dianne Palazzi had been doing business about a mile to the south on Main Street, in one of Agawam’s myriad strip malls, for more than a quarter-century, and had no real desire to leave that location.
But one day, while she was shopping at Cooper’s, Gourde asked her to take a look at a two-room space within the old Country Squire building.
It wasn’t love at first sight, but something approaching it, said Palazzi, who admitted that the ornate fireplace in one of the rooms helped stir the imagination and eventually prompt her to sign a lease.
Fred Withee says the unique space in the old Country Squire furniture building was a perfect fit for his new venture.
This same story, or something closely approximating it, played out several times over the next several months as the Gourdes worked to fill in that aforementioned blank canvas, with spaces tranging in size from 200 to 2,700 square feet.
Indeed, Withee said he was semi-retired after selling Storrowton, but was looking at a possible new venture, a coffee roaster, when he started talking to Gourde about the old furniture store he’d frequented years earlier.
Today, his establishment features some furniture he bought there, as well as a collection of antique tools amassed by Gourde’s father, Arthur Leary.
“I have a grandfather clock, a painting, and some lamps — I brought them back home,” he said. “I knew the building well, I was a good customer, and when I looked at this space I knew that this is where I wanted to be.”
He said business has been good, though challenging, as it has been for many in this sector. Overall, he sees a good deal of promise, not only for his eatery, but for the complex as a whole.
“As people find out we’re here and visit, the ambiance gets their attention,” he said. “We couple it with good food and a friendly atmosphere, and they come back, and the same is true for the whole complex.”
When she talked with BusinessWest in 2012, Gourde said the space wouldn’t exactly sell itself, but she believed that once people saw it, they would want to make it home.
And that’s what has happened.
Gourde said the property has been developed in two phases, with the ground floor coming first, with a focus on retail, and then the second floor, which has been shaped mostly into offices for professionals, ranging from Boldyga to a business consultant to a home-care business operator.
The first floor was filled by the end of 2012, said Gourde, adding that there was a short lull, followed by a somewhat frantic push last fall and early this year to fit out the second floor for interested parties.
The process of tenanting the structure — a home that was expanded several times after being converted into a furniture store — has gone very much according to the original vision, with the size, shape, and amenities in each space often dictating its new use.
“We let the building speak to us about where the spaces would fall,” said Gourde. “And it’s an interesting building, because there were so many additions over the years. We had to figure out how to connect that addition to this addition and connect the front to the back. And with everything having to be up to code, for fire and handicap accessibility, it had its challenges, but it all worked out fine.
“Each space is definitely unique,” she went on, “and it’s been fun to watch how each tenant’s personality has come out in their space. We kept the common areas kind of subdued and calm, with classic colors and such, but the tenants took the ball and ran with it when it came to their own space. Overall, it’s classic and charming, with a contemporary twist.”
She said converting the Country Squire has been both a “monumental undertaking” and a labor of love, one that has included taking on the often-challenging role of landlord.
“We’ve learned a lot of lessons,” she said with a laugh, adding that the learning curve is ongoing. “It’s been an interesting project; about a year into it, my husband looked at me and said, ‘how do you like being a landlord now?’ I kept hoping it would get easier, but it hasn’t.”
Moving forward, while contemplating whether to convert the remaining second-floor space into apartments, as originally planned, and deciding when to start the elaborate (and expensive) process of repainting the complex, the Gourdes will focus much of their energy on marketing, making people aware of the of all that’s happening in the old furniture store, and helping their tenants succeed.
“It’s amazing how many people know the building because it’s a landmark,” said Gourde, “but because we didn’t change the front of the building drastically, many people are still unaware of all the changes that have happened within, so we’re trying to get the word out.”
The sign outside Cooper’s Commons tells the story of how the complex has become populated with an eclectic mix of businesses.
“I think that we can make this into more of a draw to bring people in,” she went on, “and let people know that there are so many things here to do and see. You can spend an hour or spend the day, depending on how much time you want to give it.”
Building Momentum
While Gourde is neglecting her own business far less than she was months ago, there is still much to do at the Commons, from finalizing plans for the remaining space to that aforementioned painting project, to marketing the complex.
This was all part of the vision Gourde laid out nearly three years ago.
As she said, it hasn’t all gone according to the plan. But for the most part, the complex has come together as the couple had hoped, and when people see the huge red building now, they don’t think of furniture — they think about an intriguing mix of small businesses.
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
AGAWAM
JCC Enterprises Inc., 105 Walnut St., Agawam, MA 01001. John Cotton, same. Automobile service and repairs.
Kids We Care Inc., 386 Meadow St., Agawam, MA 01001. Barbara Ostrander, 386 Meadow St., Agawam, MA 01001. Nonprofit organization established to provide housing and home improvements for the disabled.
CHICOPEE
Lenzy Dermatology, P.C., 1176 Memorial Dr., Chicopee, MA 01020. Yolanda Lenzy M.D., same. Dermatology and hair-loss services.
EAST LONGMEADOW
Jacquinet Plumbing & Heating Inc., 159 Maple St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Michael Jacquinet, same. Plumbing and heating system installation and repairs.
Kumpir’s Baked Potato Inc., 20 Holy Cross Circle, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Hakan Mursaloglu, same. Fast food restaurant.
HOLYOKE
Holyoke Auto Glass Inc., 1584 Dwight St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Mark Sadler, same. Auto glass sales and installation.
NORTHAMPTON
Kestrel Goods Inc., 22 Masonic, St., Northampton, MA 01060.Eliza Bradley, 317 Pleasant St., #8 Northampton, MA 01060. Retail.
PITTSFIELD
Kuda Entreprises Inc., 29 Churchill Crest, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Kurt Hospot, same.
SPRINGFIELD
I & R Corp., 14 Orange St., Springfield. MA 01108. Reda Shabaneh, 34 Webber St., Springfield, MA 01108.
Intl’ Automotive Core Parts Inc., 14 Randall St., Suite B, Springfield, MA 01118. Armando Camerota, 114 Endecott St., Springfield, MA 01118. Distribution and recycling of automotive core parts.
Infinity Improvement Inc., 1365 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Alberto De La Rosa, same.
J & J Education Foundation Inc., 27 Mary Lousie St., Springfield, MA 01119. Lamer Johnson, same. Nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people with practical life skills by encouraging, and educating to foster development as responsible adults.
Kellustration Inc., 194 Powell Ave., Springfield, MA 01060. Michael Kelleher, same. Supplies illustration, animation and digital art & photo restoration services to publishers, content providers and the general public.
Latino United International Corp., 60 Belmont Ave., first floor, Springfield, MA 01108. Michael Vazquez Valantin, same. Autism resource center
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Indelible Images Inc., 182 Monastery Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Charles Carpino, same. Business of photography, including taking photographs, printing and finishing photographs, and related sales and merchandising.
Royal LLP, a management-side only labor and employment law firm, announced the following:
Channez Rogers, Esq.
Crystal Boateng
•••••
Drew McNary
•••••
The Berkshire Museum announced the addition of Britney Schline to the staff as Collections Manager. Berkshire Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, holds encyclopedic collections comprised of more than 30,000 objects, including art, artifacts, decorative arts, ethnography, natural specimens, and living collections. In her new role, Schline will oversee the museum’s permanent collections as well as work closely with the exhibition team led by Maria Mingalone, the museum’s director of interpretation. “Britney’s approach to collections management is in line with our institutional goals to bring collections alive for our visitors. She has a fresh perspective on how collections can leverage the 21st-century museum as a place where people have meaningful experiences with one another around objects,” said Mingalone. “Schline also brings a passion to finding innovative means to connect our visitors to our collections and to one another, whether it is in the galleries, through special programming, on our website, or through social media.” Schline is a recent graduate of the Cooperstown Graduate Program and holds a master’s degree in museum studies. Before completing her graduate degree, she held the position of decorative arts collections assistant at the Berkshire Museum, assisting the museum in cataloguing its ceramic and Asian art collection under an IMLS grant. Most recently, she served in the collections department at the Fenimore Art Museum and the New York State Historical Assoc. Last summer, Schline was an Edward I. Koch fellow at the Historic House Trust of New York City, where she coordinated the Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade volunteer program. She has also previously interned at Wadsworth Atheneum and the Schoharie County Historical Society.
•••••
David Pickart
•••••
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) announced that Gov. Deval Patrick recently appointed Lisa Chamberlain, Managing Partner of the Chamberlain Group, based in Great Barrington, as the newest member of the MCLA board of trustees. She succeeds outgoing trustee Steve Crowe, who recently completed his term of service. Founded in 1999, the Chamberlain Group is a Massachusetts-based studio that designs and builds mimetic organs for surgical and interventional training. It is a collective of sculptors, designers, fabricators, engineers, and model makers who work collaboratively with medical-device manufacturers, leading surgeons, and teaching hospitals worldwide. A graduate of Princeton University with graduate work at Yale, Chamberlain later joined the Academy Award-winning, New York City-based design and effects studio R/GA, where she met and collaborated with Eric Chamberlain. Together, they were instrumental in building R/GA’s reputation for work in feature films, graphic design, computer graphics, and digital video. Their combined film credits include effects, opening titles, and feature campaigns for Superman, The World According to Garp, Zelig, Predator, Predator II, The Big Chill, Tootsie, Gandhi, Body Double, Ghostbusters, Judge Dredd, Eraser, and The Matrix.
•••••
New England Environmental Inc. (NEE) announced that Michèle Grenier has joined its Amherst office as a Senior Scientist. Grenier is a professional wetland scientist, certified wetland scientist, and associate wildlife biologist, and is also OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certified. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Cornell University. Grenier has more than 20 years of experience in environmental consulting. Her experience includes state and federal wetland and riverfront delineation, wildlife-habitat evaluations, functions and values assessment, vernal-pool identification, and municipal, state, and federal permitting. She currently serves on the Conservation Commission in the town of Dracut. With offices in Amherst and Middlefield, Conn., NEE is a full-service environmental-consulting firm.
•••••
Karen Curran, Financial Consultant at Thomson Financial Management, has received her CFP (certified financial planner) designation. The CFP mark distinguishes those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements of the CFP board, successfully completed financial-planning coursework, and passed the extensive CFP certification examination. Curran has worked at Thomson Financial since 2008 and is a registered representative, with securities and financial planning offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC.
•••••
William Crawford IV, CEO of United Bank and United Financial Bancorp Inc., announced that David Reynolds Jr. recently joined United Northeast Financial Advisors, a division of United Bank, as Assistant Vice President. United Northeast Financial Advisors, located at United Bank and Rockville Bank, provides customized investment solutions to customers. As United’s newest financial advisor, Reynolds will be responsible for covering the bank’s branches in Suffield, Agawam, Feeding Hills, and Windsor Locks. He is based at Rockville Bank’s Suffield branch located at 275 Mountain Road. Reynolds comes to United Bank with more than 20 years of experience in investment and securities-related organizations, including expertise in investment-product and brokerage-industry knowledge and defined contribution, pension, and investment-product sales experience. Most recently, he was regional sales director for American United Life Insurance Co. in Glastonbury from 2007 to 2014, where he was responsible for half of the company’s New England territory, earning recognition for top-10 sales performance. From 2000 to 2007, Reynolds was regional vice president for Wachovia Bank/Evergreen Investments in Hartford, and was vice president and principal of USI Consulting Group in Glastonbury, an employee-benefit consulting firm, for 11 years. His extensive career in financial services also includes his role as vice president of Finance and treasurer for North American Holding Corp., a diversified financial-services firm.
•••••
Kandace Kukas
•••••
Janet Casey
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Affordable Flooring
Minchuk, David V.
172 Meadow St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/23/14
Baush, Deborah Ann
53 Park Slope
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/30/14
Bean, Daniel R.
157 Nottingham Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Beauregard, Jeffrey B.
41 Lawler St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Beer, Deborah A.
a/k/a Frigon, Deborah A.
102 Old Gilbertville Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Bernardes, Rui A.
128 Haviland St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/29/14
Boland, John F.
440 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
Borden, William J.
Borden, Susan M.
38 Anita Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/14
Burke, Geraldine A.
a/k/a Calcasola, Geraldine A.
a/k/a Wright, Geraldine A.
123 Wachusett St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/17/14
Casineau, Eric J.
23 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Cody, Bethany M.
50 Shepherd St., Apt. B
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/24/14
Cole, George C.
34 Warrington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/24/14
Collamore, Donna M.
20 Weymouth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/25/14
Collins, Joanne M.
1003 North Westfield St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Correa, Alba N.
22 Desrosiers St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Deleo, Matthew
63 Adams St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Echeverria, Brigitte E.
1539 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Falcha, James J.
a/k/a Falcha, J. J.
P.O. Box 828
Otis, MA 01253
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/14
Fernandez, Joel R.
22 Desrosiers St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Gadecki, Edward
138 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
George, Jeffrey M.
George, Janice M.
504 Fairway Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/30/14
Gosciminski, Lynne T.
13 Millbrook Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Gouge, Mary Elissa
72 Mechanic St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Harmon, Christine J.
a/k/a Harmon, Chrissy Jane
c/o Ostrander Law Office
PO Box 1237
Northampton, MA 01061
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Hodgins, Mary B.
40 Ogden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/14
Huffer, James M.
300 West Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/14
Ibas, Faruk
65 Bluebird Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
Kindberg, Deborah A.
97 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/14
Kirk, Robert T.
Kirk, Mary Mellinger
a/k/a Mellinger, Mary M.
53 Harvey Johnson Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/14
LaLiberte, Christopher J.
LaLiberte, Paige
79 Pine Ridge Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
LaMountain, Mary Ann
34 Meadow St., Apt. 10
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/14
Lassalle, Darcie
a/k/a Rickson, Darcie B.
60 Lakeview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
Lindsey, Keith A.
P.O Box 275
Gilbertville, MA 01031
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/24/14
Madison, Pamela R.
a/k/a Williams, Pamela Rose
96 Bradford Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/14
Manzi, Paul
Manzi, Melissa M.
199 Sawmill Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
McSweeney, Angela
531 Exchange St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Moreno, Luis A.
Moreno, Olga V.
P.O. Box 1361
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Morris, Debra A.
a/k/a Sheridan, Debra A.
PO Box 1135
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Morris, Ralph G.
PO Box 1135
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Murillo, Ricardo M.
16 Monmouth St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Muzima, Jeannette
71 State St. #311
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Nunnally, Paul J.
93 Wolcott St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/19/14
Packard, Michael
16 High St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/30/14
Piatt-Rios, Euripides P.
138 Princeton Ave.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Rodriguez-Huaman, Leslie A.
811 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Rogers, Keith E.
Rogers, Diane L.
46 Breakneck Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/14
Rosario, Emmanuel
64 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
S&S Plumbing & Heating
Sangiovanni, Dante P.
51 Lathers Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/14
Sadler, Laura Ann
27 Brookside Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/25/14
Saganich, Daniel P.
186 West Main St., Apt. D
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/14
Samuelson, Francis J.
1312 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/25/14
Sarinh, Son
392 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Siciliano, Maria
a/k/a Sepulveda, Maria
43 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Sierra, Roberto
Sierra, Melinda
a/k/a Hernandez, Melinda
40 East Hooker St
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/17/14
Smith, Charles F.
419 Montcalm St., Apt.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/18/14
Tackeff, Steven
8 Birch St.
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/30/14
Thompson, Michael P.
560 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
Vaselacopoulos, Helen E.
161 Bowles Park Ext.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/19/14
Watts, Hillary M.
518 Gale Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/14
Whitley, Shelley S.
77 Cheyenne Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/14
SPRINGFIELD — Gun maker Smith & Wesson has agreed to pay $2 million to settle civil charges by federal regulators that it bribed foreign officials to sell firearms in other countries. The Securities & Exchange Commission said Monday that the company violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by making improper payments as it sought to sell guns overseas to police and military groups from 2007 to 2010. In 2008, according to the SEC, Smith & Wesson hired a third-party agent in Pakistan to help secure a sale with a Pakistani police department. Company officials also authorized the agent to provide more than $11,000 worth of guns to Pakistani police officials as gifts and to make additional cash payments to them. Smith & Wesson eventually won a contract to sell 548 pistols to the Pakistani police for a profit of $107,852, the SEC said.
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of July 2014.
AGAWAM
Alliance Med. Gas Corporation
630 Silver St.
Chester Wojcik
Hometown Home Improvement
855 Main St.
Ronald Pioggia
New York Alterations
322 Walnut St.
Jeong J. Yoo
VER-IMS
55 Avalon Place
Vincenzo E. Ronghi
CHICOPEE
Chicopee Convenience Mart
201 Exchange St.
Mohammad Salem
Home Renovation Post
41 Robbins Road
Robert Baranowski
Nova VC Construction General Service
41 Sullivan St.
Almir Dias
Scott Patterson Trucking
11 Garrity St.
Scott Patterson
HOLYOKE
Days Inn
1515 Northampton St.
Arvino Patel
Dollar General
250 Westfield Road
Carisa Murrell
Home Wood Suites
375 Whitney Ave.
David H. Baudaut
Massachusetts Academy of Ballet
4 Open Square Way
Charles Flachs
Moon Day Cleaning Services
16 Bayberry Dr.
Elizabeth Collins
Stop & Shop Supermarket 030
2265 Northampton St.
Sally Russell
Stop & Shop Supermarket 009
28 Lincoln St.
Sally Russell
NORTHAMPTON
Echo Entertainment
37 Cleveland St.
Alex Richardson
Intelligent Spark
115 Shelburne Road
Frederick Bliss
Looky Here
28 Chapman St.
Terry Johnson
Ocean Grill & Steak House
30 Federal St.
Greenfield Grille, LLC
Piggy’s Hair Station
30 Mohawk Trail
Margaret Sears
PALMER
Palmer Coin Op & Dry Cleaners
1331 Main St.
Vi H. Nguyen
Sunny Nails & Spa
1331 Main St.
Khoa H. Nguyen
Supczak Landscaping
42 Jim Ash St.
Justin Supczak
SPRINGFIELD
Janitzy Balloon & Decorations
1655 Main St.
Julie Rivas
Kidsandjeans.com
35 Berbay Circle
Nicole T. Wallace
King Nails
461 State St.
Nguyet Nguyen
Kirby Power America
205 Leyfred Terrace
Samuel E. Hayes
Main Street Auto Service
77 Main St.
Michael Belanger
MCP Unlimited
37 Parkwood St.
Clifford A. Roule
MVC & Sons
53 Thompson St.
Marlando Cargill
New England Dermatology
3455 Main St.
Matthew P. Tougias
New Gold Pizza
459 Main St.
Erdogan Yildirim
North Atlantic Trucking
100 Progress Ave.
James P. Craven
Oak Tree Life Coaching
56 Bruce St.
Amy A. Johnson
Pine Point Property Management
124 Belvidere St.
Nicholas W. Leigh
Pioneer Valley Oncology
274 Carew St.
Philip T. Glynn
Pregnant by Flor Diamant
24 Tracy St.
Magdalena Rodriguez
S & B Motors
1608 State St.
Joshua Figueroa
SW Maintenance Plus
313 Eastern Ave.
Marlon Stamps
Sam’s Quick Stop
266 Belmont Ave.
Samer M. Alkushtaree
Sunkissed Tanning
94 Island Pond Road
Delores Alvaro
Vertigo Smoke Emporium
395 Dwight St.
Joshua Mastey
Voltage Vape Shop
1212 Main St.
Joel Illouz
Yummy Yummy
882 Sumner Ave.
Xiao Liu
WESTFIELD
AGS Eyebrow Threading
160 Elm St.
Parlad Gurung
ATWB Inc.
20 Pearl St.
Thomas Burke
Compass Homes Inc.
108 Elm St.
Compass Homes Inc.
Energy Solutions
53 North Elm St.
Stacy Lavertu
Jonathan Aspinall Chimney Sweeps
16 Freemont St.
Jonathan Aspinall
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Bounce House Rentals
900 Riverdale St.
Bryan Gagnor
Cellular Sales of Massachusetts
175 Memorial Ave.
Pamela Kimball
China Bodywork Center
2009 Riverdale St.
Guang Guo
Deleshaven Designs
50 Thomas Dr.
Brett Berchin
Dog Guard of Western MA
17 Wilbert Dr.
Jon Roberts
Family Dollar Stores
1120 Union St.
Angie Jones
New England Market
175 Memorial Ave.
Pamela Kimball
Preferred Auto
27 Heywood Ave.
Richard Larivee
Rah Discount
913 Main St.
Mohammad K. Bashir
Steve’s Sports
94 Front St.
Steve Bordeaux
The Lawn Division
81 Oakland St.
Thomas P. Shea
Verizon Wireless
175 Memorial Ave.
Pamela Kimball
VK Transport Inc.
534 Union St.
Vadim Kot
West Springfield Bounce House
900 Riverdale St.
Bryan Gagnor
Planning for Healthcare in Retirement
July 30: Monson Savings Bank will hold a complimentary workshop titled “Planning for Healthcare in Retirement,” featuring Kevin Flynn, regional vice president for Nationwide, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at La Cucina, 1 Allen St., Hampden. It is free and open to the public. The event is designed to help people plan for retirement and learn how healthcare costs can impact their retirement income. This can be an unfamiliar area of retirement planning, and the workshop will help make it simpler to understand the ins and outs of healthcare costs, Medicare coverage, and available options to help people plan for these expenses when they retire. “Too often, people don’t fully account for healthcare costs or understand what Medicare pays for when they decide to retire, and, unfortunately, they’re unpleasantly surprised at the adjustments they need to make to their budget and retirement plans when reality hits,” said Steven Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “This workshop is designed to help people avoid that difficult scenario.” To RSVP, call Anna Driscoll at (413) 267-1221 or e-mail [email protected].
Wine & Canvas Event
Aug. 8: The board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County (BBBS-FC) is organizing a Wine & Canvas event, the second one this year. The first event was a sellout. Participants in this fun-filled evening, to take place at the Montague Elks Lodge in Turners Falls, can learn to paint a take-home work of art. The agency has teamed up with Wine & Canvas, a leading art-entertainment company. An art teacher from Wine & Canvas will lead the group in creating a rendering of our local Bridge of Flowers. The $45 cost includes dinner, all the art supplies, and the donation to BBBS-FC. A cash bar will be available at the event. The first such event was held on June 19, and the sold-out crowd of 100 painters created a cherry blossom scene. “We were overwhelmed by the interest. It was great to see so many new faces coming out to support our agency,” said board President Laurel Guy. Dinner include Hillside Pizza, salad, and dessert, sponsored by HitPoint in Amherst. Door prizes will be sponsored by Absolutely Fabulous Hair in Greenfield. To sign up, visit www.wineandcanvas.com/private-events-calendar-springfield-ma.html and click on Aug. 8, or call the BBBS-FC office at (413) 772-0915. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and sales will run until Aug. 1 or the event sells out, whichever comes first. Proceeds from this event will fund Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County programs, which serve children facing adversity in Franklin County and the North Quabbin towns of Athol, Royalston, Petersham, and Phillipston.
Jazz & Roots Festival
Aug 9: Following in the footsteps of the Hoop City Jazz and Arts Festival, which drew more than 20,000 people to downtown Springfield, is the inaugural Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival, intended to celebrate the emergence of Springfield’s Cultural District and promote an arts-driven, community-oriented, and sustainable revitalization of the city. The free, outdoor festival, to be held in Court Square in downtown Springfield, will feature locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists, a variety of ethnic cuisines and local food producers, and more. This inclusive event aims to bring people from Springfield and the surrounding region together to foster connection, stimulate the local economy, and highlight positive initiatives contributing to the betterment of Springfield’s residents, and uniting the city with the rest of the Pioneer Valley. For more information, contact Stephanie Killian at (413) 303-0101, ext. 102, or [email protected].
Western Mass.Business Expo
Oct. 29: BusinessWest will present its fourth annual Western Mass. Business Expo at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. The business-to-business show, which last year drew more than 2,000 visitors, will feature more than 100 booths, seminars, and Show Floor Theater presentations; breakfast and lunch programs; and a day-capping Expo Social. Details about specific events, programs, and featured speakers will be printed in future issues of BusinessWest. Comcast Business will again be Presenting Sponsor, while the social will be sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. Current Silver Sponsors are Health New England and DIF Design, and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600.
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
Diana Baker v. Davol, LLC and the Creative Pines Motel
Allegation: Negligence in property maintenance causing fall: $3,269.56
Filed: 5/29/14
FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Amanda Silva v. the Snows, LLC d/b/a Snowzees, and Agnes C. Ting and James C. Ting
Allegation: Negligence in property maintenance and breach of duty of reasonable care regarding the construction of a handicap ramp with a defective gap at the bottom of the ramp causing trip and fall: $23,334.90
Filed: 5/1/14
Susan Lyons Watkins and Lee Mark Watkins v. the Town of Shutesbury
Allegation: Negligent storage of road salt causing contamination of residential well: $100,000+
Filed: 4/24/14
U.S. Electric Services Inc. d/b/a Hampden Zimmerman Electric Supply Co. v. D.A. Sullivan and Sons, et al
Allegation: Non-payment of goods, materials, and equipment: $52,142.51
Filed: 4/23/14
GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
GEM Mechanical Services v. Advantage Construction Inc., Two Fathers, LLC, and JimBob Realty, LLC
Allegation: Plaintiff is seeking to enforce a mechanics lien claim arising from the provision of materials, equipment, and services for a construction project: $15,662.74
Filed: 6/17/14
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Anthony Trevelli v. Cyalume Technologies Inc., Zivi Nedivi, and Michael E. Bielonko
Allegation: Failure to pay commissions: $29,000
Filed: 6/12/14
Keating-Wilbert Vault Inc. v. Ryder Funeral Home
Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $45,302.95
Filed: 6/11/14
People’s United Bank v. Roofer’s Edge Inc. and Jeffrey S. Leader
Allegation: Failure to make payments on a promissory note: $13,235.05
Filed: 6/19/14
Timothy Scott and Frederick L. Scott v. David White, ITP VOIP Inc.
Allegation: Fraudulent use of credit card: $1 million
Filed: 6/12/14
HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Granite State Insurance Co. v. Max Salvage Maintenance Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract and failure to pay: $13,316.05
Field: 5/27/14
Janet LaFond v. Manomednet, LLC
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property causing fall: $6,440
Filed: 5/27/14
PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Commerce Insurance a/s/o Judy Joaquin and Melinda Alves v. Fed Ex Ground Package System Inc. and Kenneth Allen Jr.
Allegation: Negligence in the operation of a FedEx truck causing a rear-end collision: $10,608.73
Filed: 5/27/14
Javier Rivera and Igdalia Rivera v. the Commerce Insurance Co.
Allegation: Damages for improper denial of coverage: $5,670.44
Filed: 6/3/14
SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
J. Roger St. Amand d/b/a Pro Pack Co. v. the Colad Group, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay sales commission: $2,273.00
Filed: 6/11/14
Martin Topor Oil Inc. d/b/a Central Oil v. W & I Construction Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of distribution and oil services rendered: $14,644.03
Filed: 6/12/14
When It Comes to Business, Dave Ratner Has Some Pet Peeves
When Dave Ratner speaks to small-business owners — something he does often — he will inevitably touch on some of the highlights from his intriguing, 40-year career selling soda and pet food, during which he has made his first name and face into a nationally known brand.
And there are many such highlights, from his success in retail (he now has seven Dave’s Soda & Pet City stores in Western Mass. and Northern Conn.) to his triumphs in wholesaling, specifically the introduction and then rapid expansion of his lines of dog and cat food, to his highly regarded marketing initiatives.
But Ratner says he spends much more of his time at the podium talking about what hasn’t gone right with his various business endeavors. Like the store he opened on Allen and Cooley streets in Springfield, which closed roughly a year after it opened in 1995 because of what he called “miscalculations” and bad timing. Then there was an ill-fated e-commerce venture, a four-year experiment that failed because, in essence, he entered a game without fully understanding how it’s played.
“This was the first all-natural pet-food e-commerce site in the country,” he explained, referring to an acquisition he made in 2010. “I said to myself, ‘how hard can this be?’ Well, the e-commerce business is much different than the retail business, and I’m not an expert in e-commerce. I didn’t have anyone on my team who knew the e-commerce business, and we got killed.”
It is by relating these failures and others and the reasons behind them that Ratner believes he can most effectively get across his points about how to succeed in business, something he’s becoming noted for as much as his stores, products, and TV spots.
Indeed, he speaks to various trade groups — he recently addressed the Billiard Hall Owners Assoc., for example — and business organizations on a fairly regular basis. The audience and subject matter varies, but he’s often addressing retailers, and a common theme is advising little guys on how to beat the big guys.
Meanwhile, some of his more recent blog posts — such as “Good Boss or Good Leader? Business Owners Should Learn the Difference Between the Two and How to Be Both,” “Your Attitude Goes a Long Way in Business: Changing Your Mindset Can Mean a Positive Impact for Your Store,” “Not So Fast: Before Pulling a Product off the Shelf, Think About the Total Picture,” and “The Learning Never Stops: Going to Trade Shows and Conventions Can Help Retailers Move Their Business Forward” — are clearly aimed at that constituency.
Overall, Ratner told BusinessWest that there are many mistakes that entrepreneurs will make — everything from not having enough money when they launch a venture to letting their ego get in the way of smart decisions, to not having what he called a “damage-control policy” in place.
“People go into business with their hearts, not their heads,” he noted. “The reason that big companies have boards of directors is so they can question what management is doing and be a devil’s advocate. So if a successful company needs one, and you’re an entrepreneur, you certainly need one.”
Elaborating, he said business owners and managers generally tend to forget about “Mr. Murphy,” the individual whose name is attached to a law — the one about how everything that can go wrong will. And this will invariably lead to trouble, especially when it comes to money and cash flow.
“I don’t care what you’re doing — if you don’t have enough money, don’t do it, and whatever money you think you need, multiply it by at least two,” he explained, “because the minute you start your business, Mr. Murphy is going to move in next door to you.”
For this issue and its focus on entrepreneurship, BusinessWest talked at length with Ratner about his career in business, but also about how he’s devoting a good deal of his time and energy to advising others on how to use their head and not their heart and thus avoid making the critical mistakes that often mean the difference between success and failure.
Poignant Paws
Dave Ratner takes a moment to meet and photograph a regular and her dogs, one of the many ways he tries to make an emotional connection to customers.
It’s pretty much common knowledge that he flunked out of Babson College between his sophomore and junior years, only to later return and get his degree, and, not long after graduating, borrowed $5,000 from his father to open a Soda City store on Route 9 in Hadley. That’s the name his father, Harold, gave to a venture he started in 1972 after his career as a distributor for Clicquot Club soda came to an abrupt end when the company decided to sell direct to retailers. Ratner made it clear that, while his father provided some seed money, this was a separate enterprise he could call his own.
“He said to me, ‘if you want to do this, I’ll loan you $5,000, and you can go and find a location and open up your business,’” Ratner recalled. “He said, ‘yours is yours, mine is mine; I’m here for guidance, but this way, you’ll learn how to run a business really quickly.’ And he was definitely right about that.”
It’s also well-known that, roughly a year or so after starting that venture, he bought a puppy, an acquisition that took him to the pet-food aisle at the supermarket, where he learned there was much more to sell there than in the carbonated-beverages aisle, a realization that started him down the road to selling two totally different product categories out of the same building.
The past 37 years or so have been spent expanding the enterprise in several directions, making Dave’s a household name — in this market, but also others — and, for the most part, anyway, practicing what he preaches when it comes to running a successful business and beating those aforementioned big guys.
“And unless you’re Wal-Mart, you’re the little guy,” he said with a laugh, adding that the most important thing for any business owner who falls in that latter category is to “connect with the customer emotionally.”
“When I talk with entrepreneurs and business people, I explain to them that we’re not here to have a transactional relationship with customers, but an emotional relationship with them so we can try to bond with them,” he explained. “Business is business — you have to offer what the customer wants or needs at the correct price, you have to be easy to do business with, and you have to build a relationship with them. And you have to build trust; people don’t want to hang out with or do business with someone they don’t trust.”
Ratner’s been doing all that throughout his career, with his stores, his marketing (it’s his voice you hear in the radio ads), and a weekly television show called simply Dave’s Pet Show, which has been running on Fox for more than two decades, as well as a hands-on attitude in his stores.
For example, on the day he spoke with BusinessWest at his flagship store in Agawam, Ratner could be seen helping customers unload their huge bags of dog food into their cars and taking photos of the canines that his regulars bring into the store with them when doing their shopping.
And he’s taken this emotional relationship to an even higher level with his lines of pet food, which he started introducing nearly 20 years ago and wholesaling five years ago. It’s the entrepreneurial gambit that appears to have the most potential — it’s generating close to the same amount of revenue as his retail operation, and he believes it will soon surpass it — and the one he’s easily most proud of.
His products are now being sold in 40 states and by more than 3,000 independent retailers, he said, adding that beyond those numbers is the great sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing what they mean.
“Dave’s Pet Food is just the coolest thing in the world,” he told BusinessWest. “People who have never met me and have no clue who I am trust me with the health of the creature they love more than anything in the world. How does it get any better than that?”
Talking the Talk
While perhaps not as satisfying as his pet food, Ratner’s seminars, lectures, blogs, and other vehicles for sharing knowledge and lessons with small-business owners remain a big part of who he is.
He told BusinessWest that he’s learned a great deal from his own experiences and also from mentors ranging from his father to Al White, founder of A.O. White, who hired him for a few summers when he was in high school, to Ken Abrams, president of the FoodMart chain of supermarkets that once operated in the region. And he enjoys sharing these lessons, as well as myriad others he’s learned through relationships forged from his membership in the Young Presidents Organization as well as his work with the National Retailers Federation.
There are many such lessons he said, starting with making sure you have enough money when you launch a business and understanding that Murphy’s Law will apply to your venture. Entrepreneurs must also create a reason for people to do business with them “unless they’re inventing something revolutionary,” he went on.
And they need to have that devil’s advocate there, not only to ask the hard questions, but to make sure that they’re answered sufficiently.
Ratner said he’s had to learn some of these lessons himself the hard way.
Indeed, he said he didn’t have enough money to keep the Allen and Cooley location open during a year when he said everything went wrong for retailers, and especially those selling pet food.
“That was the year of Nintendo, America Online, and snowstorms,” he noted, adding that the poor weather kept people from making non-essential trips, and they would get their pet supplies at the supermarket instead. “Everyone started going online, and the pet business declined; kids weren’t into fish and birds anymore.”
Dave’s new pet food label also features his German shepherd, Trudie.
And they can help them understand their limitations and avoid costly missteps, such as Ratner’s foray into e-commerce.
“On the Internet, it’s all about ‘who’s got the best price; who’s got the best deal?’” he explained, adding that distribution is also a huge factor and one that ultimately kept him from effectively competing with Amazon and other huge sites.
Knowing one’s limitations is an important quality for business owners, he stressed, as is the related ability to keep one’s ego in check.
“The smartest, best business people in the world are those who hire the best people, those who can do the things they can’t,” he explained. “I have the best controller in the world — he’s phenomenal; I flunked accounting.
“Another thing that gets entrepreneurs in trouble is ego — there’s no place for ego in business,” he went on. “People have to listen, watch, learn, and never believe they know everything, because they don’t.
“You have to be a sponge,” he continued. “You need to go look and see what your competitors are doing right and copy that, see what they’re doing wrong and make sure you don’t do that.”
But perhaps the most important trait a successful business must possess, he said, is the ability to take a vision and make it permeate a company. To get that point across, he relayed a conversation he had with Mindy Grossman, CEO of Home Shopping Network, that took place as HSN mulled adding Dave’s pet-food products to the list of items it sold.
“I asked her how she competed with QVC, because QVC is twice as big as she is, and she said, ‘QVC is very transactional, and we try to develop an emotional relationship with our customers,’” he explained, noting that, not coincidentally, she used the same language he has employed for decades.
“She said, ‘this was the vision that I brought to the company — that’s it’s all about the customer, storytelling, and developing a relationship with that customer,’” he went on. “CEOs say a lot of stuff, so the next morning, I asked everyone I met, the buyers and everyone else, what it was like working at Home Shopping Network, and they, to a T, repeated exactly what Mindy said. So if you run a business, you have to let everyone know that ‘this is my vision’ and everyone in that company has to buy into it, and if you have people who don’t buy in, you have to get rid of them.”
Tale End
When asked if had — or still has — any plans to perhaps take his chain of stores to a regional or even national stage, Ratner offered a hearty laugh and then some deep introspection.
“You know, I’m just a classic small-town businessman — there’s guys like me in every town,” he said. “I don’t have the brains to go and become a national company; I don’t have the skill set.
“The coolest thing in the world now, though, is that I get to hang out with people who are doing that,” he went on, referring to both YPO and the National Retail Federation. “I like to tell my friends that these guys see stuff that I don’t know exists.”
Perhaps, but there’s no debating that Ratner has scripted an intriguing entrepreneurial success story, and is still writing new chapters. In the meantime, he’s also making a name for himself helping others become successful small-town businessmen and women.
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
Hadley Takes Steps to Enhance Commercial Growth
David Nixon says Hadley’s mix of open space, farmland, commerce, and homes has positioned it well for the future.
“We admire and respect people who are trying to establish and maintain a business. It’s a very difficult thing to do and takes a lot of sacrifice,” said Town Administrator David Nixon. He added that building lots are available on Route 9 and the town has been approached by a number of business owners who want to expand, particularly in the shopping-mall area of the roadway.
“There is a lot of new construction taking place,” he told BusinessWest, listing several expamples. “Texas Roadhouse is in the permitting process, a Starbucks store is under construction, and other businesses are being built or are under design. It’s good for the community and good for America, so we are doing whatever we can to support them and give owners the opportunity to flourish.”
A major milestone was reached several months ago when the state granted the town 12 new liquor licenses it applied for last fall. “The restaurant/hospitality trade is very important to our local economy, and last November, the town reached its quota of liquor licenses,” Nixon explained. “We knew there was a market for them, and we wanted to be able to provide opportunity for new restaurants and stores that would address the need for dining and entertainment. As a result of our petition, six new licenses for malt and wine and six for all-alcohol were granted.”
The licenses are for establishments on Route 9. One has already been applied for, and interest has been expressed in the remainder. “We expect more applications for them in the near future,” he said.
Hadley has also been proactive in helping 13 small businesses recover from losses suffered in a fire last October that leveled the strip mall at 206 Russell St. that housed them. “We developed a coalition to help the owners get back on their feet and find new locations to re-establish their businesses. It includes the Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Hampshire County, the town of Hadley, and our legislative delegation, as well as banks and charitable institutions,” Nixon said.
The coalition worked to make sure the owners received insurance money and any benefits available to them, he explained, adding that some of the businesses were quite successful and had been established by immigrants who realized the American dream through hard work and sweat equity put forth by their families.
The coalition also helped the owners create business plans and document their history so they could receive bank loans and apply for grant money. “Some have reopened, and others are still looking for the right location, but our work with them is ongoing,” Nixon said.
For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest looks at how this town strategically positioned between Northampton and Amherst is certainly the right place at the right time for commercial development.
Setting the Stage
Nixon said the town has also been proactive in taking steps to ensure that existing and potential business owners have the infrastructure they need to thrive. To that end, town officials partnered with the Mass. Department of Transportation to improve travel along Route 9 for vehicular traffic as well as for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Progress is being made, and new walking paths will be installed within the next year that will connect residential neighborhoods to shopping areas. In addition, a plan to widen and recondition the road is in the design stage and is expected to be complete next summer. It includes bicycle lanes, which will be enhanced by an upgrade of the Norwottuck Rail Trail by the Department of Conservation Resources.
Nixon said promoting bicycle use is part of the town’s ongoing strategy to reduce energy consumption, and officials have collaborated with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to realize that goal. The project includes a study paid for by a Community Innovation Challenge grant received last year, and the final report is expected in the near future.
“We also just received grant money to purchase three bicycle racks,” Nixon said. Two will be installed on municipal property along Route 9, and the third will be stationed at a local business chosen by the Select Board.
Town officials are also working with the state Department of Transportation to install safe pedestrian crossings along Route 9. Nixon said this is critical because the town common, which stretches a mile and a half and is the longest intact town common in New England, is being used for an increasing number of events.
Over the past year, these have included a farmer’s market, a 5K road race, and the town’s annual Asparagus Festival, which was held in early June. The festival kicked off for the first time last year at the Seven Sisters Market Bistro & Long Hollow Bison Farm at 270 Russell St., and this year, it was moved to the town common.
“It was extremely successful,” said Nixon. “People came from as far away as Brooklyn, and a story about it was published in Yankee magazine.”
But parking and walking to the common is problematic. People who attend such events often park in the Hopkins Academy lot or along Route 9, which means they have to cross the busy road on foot. “If they park on the south end of the road, they have to walk across four lanes of traffic,” Nixon explained, adding that the new crossings will be a boon to pedestrian safety.
The problem of aging water lines is also being addressed. “The lines we have are about 75 years old and will be replaced with higher-capacity ones and better materials,” he noted. The town plans to borrow money to finance the project, and officials are working with legislators to procure state funding to help pay for the improvement. Nixon said the preliminary cost for phase 1 is $400,000, and an additional $500,000 will be needed to complete phase 2.
A program to upgrade the town’s fire hydrants is also underway, and water valves are being tested by the Fire Department and Department of Public Works.
“We are also repairing our wastewater lines because we want to be sure there is enough capacity for our wastewater-treatment plan to handle an expansion,” he said. “It’s important to have this infrastructure in place and working properly so business owners know there is abundant water for their needs as well as enough to put out fires.”
Growth Patterns
Agriculture has always been an important part of Hadley’s economy, and the steps taken to bring new business to Route 9 and support firms already there have the potential to spur economic growth, since the town’s agricultural profile includes enterprises such as Carrs Cider, which is sold in package stores and restaurants; Valley Malt, which provides ingredients to make locally produced beer; and V-One Vodka, which can be purchased in Hadley and has plans to expand.
“Many Hadley restaurants support local agriculture, and we have six dairy farms and thousands of acres used to grow vegetables and fruit, such as strawberries, asparagus, corn, potatoes, squash, and pumpkins. So opportunities for new restaurants are linked to an opportunity for growth in both commercial and agricultural areas,” Nixon said.
He told BusinessWest the town is a leader in land preservation and has thousands of acres protected for agriculture and wildlife.
“But we also want to have the right kinds of commerce to provide people with employment as well as services they need, want, and enjoy,” he said in conclusion. “The commercial base helps to keep our taxes affordable, and the mix of open land, commerce, and residences in small villages and neighborhoods has provided Hadley with a very stable and vibrant community that is well-positioned to handle the challenges of the future.”
Hadley at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1661
Population: 5,520 (2010)
Area: 24.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $10.64
Commercial Tax Rate: $10.64
Median Household Income: $51,851 (2010)
Family Household Income: $61,897 (2010)
Type of government: Open Town Meeting, Board of Selectmen
Largest Employers: Super Stop & Shop, Evaluation Systems Group Pearson, Elaine Center at Hadley, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement
* Latest information available
Adjusting to a New Economic Reality
Andre Mayer appears to be right, but we sure hope he’s wrong.
Mayer, senior vice president for communications and research at Associated Industries of Mass., was talking with BusinessWest about the economy and, more specifically, the recovery and why it really hasn’t materialized (see story, page 6).
And he proffered the opinion that, five years after the recession ended, it might be time to say this just might be as good as the recovery is going to get.
Like we said, we hope he’s wrong about that.
The regional economy has really seen only modest growth since the end of the Great Recession, maybe a percentage point or two each year, and many business owners are still waiting for that surge, boost, spurt, whatever one chooses to call it, that officially signals the end of a downturn and the start of real recovery.
What Mayer is saying, and he’s apparently not alone in this thinking, is that what we’re seeing is real recovery, or at least the new reality when it comes to the economy.
It comes with modest growth in jobs (and even that has arrived mostly in recent months) and only slight gains in gross domestic product. These are just some of the defining elements of something called ‘secular stagnation,’ an economic theory supported by former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and many others, which contends that a host of factors, from advancing technology to globalization, are keeping this recovery from gaining any real steam in many sections of the country.
Secular stagnation might indeed be real, but our regional economy should be doing better. As Bob Nakosteen, professor of Economics at UMass Amherst, pointed out, conditions for pronounced growth are there, especially an improvement in the financial situation in many households, and businesses as well. Many have reduced debt and righted balance sheets that certainly contributed to the severe downturn at the end of the last decade.
What’s still missing, in many cases, is that all-important commodity known as confidence. A lack of it is still holding a number of business owners back when it comes to expanding their ventures and adding to their workforces. Some sectors are experiencing modest growth, including education and healthcare, the pillars of the local economy, but many are still treading water.
And while the state’s June employment report was encouraging — the jobless rate was at its lowest point since 2008, and another 3,700 jobs were added — there were disturbing declines in the manufacturing and construction sectors, two areas that were supposedly on the upswing.
As area commercial lenders told BusinessWest, business owners read and hear about improving conditions, job gains, and an uptick in business confidence, but don’t necessarily believe what they’re seeing or hearing.
Thus, many are still hunkering down and continuing to do the things that got them through the recession — tightening their belts, creating greater efficiency, and hiring only when they have to.
Mayer believes that some attitudes may be changing when it comes to the economy and the recovery. He believes that some business owners are recognizing that maybe that surge everyone is waiting for simply isn’t going to happen, and that it doesn’t make sense to continue waiting for it. Better still, he believes that some are coming to the conclusion that, by not waiting, they may actually help facilitate that surge.
On this point, we hope he is correct.
If he is, then maybe the current state of the recovery doesn’t have to be the new reality, and this is not as good as it’s going to get.
PALMER — The Republican reported today that Mohegan Sun is ending its 99-year lease with Northeast Realty for the former casino site off Thorndike. The casino giant sited an inability to find a major retailer to anchor a proposed development there as the reason for its action. In a prepared statement, Northeast Realty said the move comes as no surprise and “confirms Northeast’s position that Mohegan Sun never intended to legitimately pursue non-gaming development” at the site. Former town councilor Paul Burns agreed with that sentiment. In a strongly worded statement e-mailed to BusinessWest, he said, “the statement today from Mohegan Sun regarding their desire to abandon Palmer is hardly surprising to those of us who have followed the trail of broken promises and misstatements since Mohegan entered into negotiations with Suffolk Downs in October, well before Palmer’s voters had even had their say.” He continued, “the premise, however, that Mohegan Sun has spent any significant amount of time trying to find a tenant is laughable. As recently as April Mohegan Sun reps, in response to a request from three Palmer town councilors, indicated that they simply did not have time to pursue development in Palmer as they were busy with the Revere project. Now barely three months later they have somehow completed an extensive search for a partner and came up empty? Clearly Mohegan Sun had no interest in developing this site for any purpose other than a casino. I believed when they initially claimed interest in non-gaming development that they were simply attempting to hold onto the site to prevent another company from building there should MGM not be awarded the Western Mass. license. Now barely 30 days after MGM secures that license Mohegan Sun’s actions speak loud and clear. From where I sit it is clear, they had no intention of building here. Obviously Mohegan Sun is not the ‘good neighbor’ they claimed to be.”
Local Projects Reflect the Evolution of Cancer Centers
A rendering of the BMC Cancer Center in Pittsfield
In fact, as senior vice president of strategy and marketing for the Sisters of Providence Health System, it’s part of his job to understand the demographic and medical trends in the region — and how SPHS should respond to them.
“Every year, we do a community health-needs assessment and some ongoing tracking of what’s happening with demographics and what’s happening with diseases in the region,” he said. “And cancer rates in our region are higher than the national trend. Meanwhile, our demographics are older than a lot of regions, and we’re aging in place; there’s not as much outmigration as in some other regions. And as folks age, we’ll continue to see both actual and predicted growth in cancer prevalence.”
In short, “we said, ‘wow, we’ve got some things we need to prepare for.’”
SPHS is doing so with a major expansion of its Sr. Caritas Cancer Center in Springfield, increasing its floor space from 16,000 square feet to almost 40,000 and bringing more cancer services together in one location.
“We’re bringing radiation oncology and medical oncology under one roof, which is ideal for the patient, both from a convenience standpoint and from a comprehensive care standpoint, because they can get all their care in one place,” Fulco said. “And having everyone together in one place is very effective for clinicians because there is quite a bit of interaction between various medical specialists who provide care in the cancer center. So having everything together in one place is very efficient for both caregivers and providers.”
That under-one-roof philosophy is one that has guided the recent surge in dedicated cancer centers around the country and particularly in Western Mass., where Baystate Health’s 65,000-square-foot D’Amour Center for Cancer Care and SPHS’s Sr. Caritas Cancer Center, both built in 2003, pioneered the concept.
In addition to the Caritas expansion, Berkshire Health Systems, which runs Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, opened the BMC Cancer Center last fall and is gradually moving all cancer services under one roof. Meanwhile, Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, which has collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital on cancer services since 2009, is now affiliated with that institution and will open the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital next year.
“Cancer care is a multi-disciplinary disease,” said Dr. Sean Mullally, medical director of the CDH Cancer Care Program. “It requires the input of a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and surgical oncologist, and it’s very important, in many situations, to have a collaborative approach from all three specialties.”
Michael Leary, director of media relations at Berkshire Medical Center, said the way cancer patients were shuttled around just a few years ago is not considered acceptable today.
The Sr. Caritas Cancer Center expansion, which will more than double the facility’s floor space, is expected to be completed in 18 months.
That’s why the health system repurposed the original Hillcrest Hospital in Pittsfield to bring those services under one roof, said Ann McDonald, director of Oncology Services for BMC.
“We opened initially with medical oncology, infusion, and laboratory services,” she told BusinessWest. “Over the course of the next year, we will continue to add services, start opening some integrative health services, combining nutrition services, care navigation, social work, and movement therapy.
“The next phase, which won’t open until late this year, is a multi-disciplinary clinic, where patients can see a variety of physicians during treatment,” she continued. “We’ll have palliative-care services in the future. The last phase will be a year from now, when radiation oncology moves from its current site [at BMC] to the new cancer center. Then all our oncology physicians will see patients in one place.”
In this issue, BusinessWest examines the recent evolution of cancer care at area hospitals and why both patients and providers are cheering the effort to bring comprehensive oncology services under one roof.
Come Together
The plans for the Caritas Center expansion, which broke ground in the spring, include medical-oncology offices, including physician offices and examination rooms, on the first floor, and medical-oncology treatment space, including 32 infusion bays, an oncology pharmacy, and laboratory space, on the second floor. The project is expected to take 18 months.
The center is also adding two medical oncologists by the fall bringing that number to five, and has been using space in Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital — which, like the cancer center, is located on the Mercy Medical Center campus — pending the expansion of the Caritas Center.
Bringing more services into one building will offer patients much more efficient, comprehensive treatment, Fulco said. “By having the team together, we’re able to more efficiently deliver those services.”
Another driving factor in oncology, reflected in the design of the expanded cancer center, is the shift from inpatient to outpatient care. “We’re preparing for that; we think more and more care will be delivered on an outpatient basis. Even today, most of it is, except for surgical treatment,” he noted. “Over the years, we’ve seen care and treatment dramatically change, both the way care is delivered and the setting.”
Meanwhile, the first phase of the new BMC Cancer Center opened in November, including the new offices of Berkshire Hematology Oncology, BMC Infusion Services, and the Cancer Center Laboratory and Pharmacy.
Dr. Sean Mullally and Janet O’Connor say CDH’s affiliation with the Mass General Cancer Center has only strengthened what has been a five-year collaboration.
“The goal was to take all the disciplines and put them together in one location, which happens to be a very beautiful location, the Hillcrest campus of Berkshire Medical Center, formerly Hillcrest Hospital,” he explained. “It’s a really pretty section of Pittsfield, overlooking a gorgeous lake, surrounded by pine trees and walking trails. We wanted a location for patients that was calming and soothing, but also one place they could go to receive as much care as possible. They’re facing enough challenges as it is; we’re making it as easy as possible on them.”
That’s especially true in the Berkshires, he said, which is even farther from cutting-edge oncology services in Boston — or even major highways — than the other regional hospitals building or expanding cancer centers.
“It’s really important to provide this care close to home,” Leary noted. “In any small community, the tendency is to think you can’t get state-of-the-art, advanced care unless you go to Boston or New York — Sloan Kettering or somewhere like that.
“But with the investments Berkshire Health Systems has made in its cancer program over the past several years, we have technology that, frankly, many cancer centers don’t, including one of the highest-end versions of tomotherapy,” he said, referring to a form of radiation therapy. “We do that because we don’t want people to have to go to Boston or New York. Obviously, we’d rather they stay in their community for their quality of life — and it makes it easier on their families, too.”
McDonald noted that BHS can also videoconference with, say, a geneticist in Boston, when necessary, so that a patient doesn’t have to spend five hours on the Pike. “We can send the information and do an entire consultation in a room at the cancer center.”
Getting Better
Cooley Dickinson can videoconference with Boston as well — specifically, Mass General, the institution it merged with last year.
Mullally said the affiliation expands what was already a healthy collaborative partnership when it comes to cancer care, and what is being called the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson will relocate into a new building on the CDH campus in 2015. The cancer center will be operated by Mass General Hospital Cancer Center, he added, and all its physicians will become Mass General doctors.
Expanded services will include access to clinical trials at Mass General Cancer Center, an increased number of chemotherapy and radiation-therapy treatment protocols, increased access to genetic screening and counseling, and, of course, implementation of Mass General’s multi-disciplinary care model, where patients and their medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists can meet in a single appointment to plan all aspects of care.
Janet O’Connor, the center’s clinical nurse director, said the facility emphasizes both state-of-the-art treatment and services that impact body, mind, and spirit, with integrative therapies including acupuncture, massage, and Reiki.
She said the high-tech and high-touch elements of modern cancer care are equally important, reflecting the fact that reducing stress enhances healing. So, while CDH now has access to the type of cutting-edge care available at Mass General, patients will receive treatment in a building designed with a healing atmosphere in mind.
“We’re building a beautiful space,” O’Connor said. “The waiting room space will be very open with lots of light, and we’re creating a green roof with windows looking onto the roof and greenery.” The center will include 18 infusion areas, up to 12 exam rooms, and swing space for the support services, from nutrition to massage. “The idea is to keep the patient with us and bring our people to them, so they can have a consultation with a dietician, or with someone in occupational or physical therapy … we’re providing space where they can go to the patient.”
An interior rendering of the soon-to-be-expanded Sr. Caritas Cancer Center.
Mullally also stressed the clinical-trial benefits of the Mass General affiliation, as MGH is one of the nation’s leaders in targeted therapy trials in melanoma, brain tumors, and other solid tumors.
“For the most part, if people want access to clinical trials, they need to drive to Boston. In the future, we’ll be able to provide many trials here, so it doesn’t require a ride back and forth,” he noted, adding that subspecialists at Mass General are easy to access when their consultation is needed. “They have an open-door policy; they pick up the phone.”
I Feel Fine
The cancer centers at Berkshire and SPHS are also embracing some new modalities, including the STAR (Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation) Program, an evidence-based education and training program that many hospitals and cancer centers offer to their administrative and clinical staff to develop more effective oncology-rehab services.
“It allows cancer patients, like those who have joint surgery, to go to rehabilitation faster and get better more quickly because of this enhanced focus on their rehab,” Fulco said.
The addition of rehabilitation oncology — combined with physicians’ new ability to coordinate care in one building — adds up to better quality of life for patients in Pittsfield, McDonald said.
“For so long, helping people survive was the primary outcome. As survival improves, quality-of-life treatment takes on additional meaning,” she said, which is why it’s important to add elements like exercise and rehabilitation; integrative services like yoga, Reiki, and acupuncture; and nutrition education. In fact, the center will invite guest chefs in for demonstrations on cooking healthy food.
Meanwhile, Leary said, “the Berkshires are a very good place for artists, and we’ve lined the walls of the cancer center with pieces of art by local artists. We’ve been able to display the talents of our community there.”
All the new cancer centers take the healing environment into account, Mullally said, and CDH is no exception. In the end, though, what drives the evolution of cancer care is that emphasis on bringing services to patients under one roof, and lessening their anxiety at what may just be the worst moment of their life.
“It makes it more convenient, and patients have better outcomes, if all the specialties are working together at the same time,” he said. “It makes for more patient-centered care.”
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
When It Comes to IT, Responsibility Is Reaching to the Top
By GREG PELLERIN
Greg Pellerin
In May, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel resigned after a major data-security breach. Some said it wasn’t his fault, but the company’s board disagreed, saying it was a result of underinvestment in Target’s IT systems. The Associated Press quoted Daniel Ives, analyst for FBR Capital Markets, who said, “ultimately, it’s the CIO and the IT managers that are really more in the weeds, but just like the head coach of a football or basketball team that doesn’t make the playoffs, the CEO is ultimately responsible.”
And consider the case of James Thaw, president and CEO of Athens Regional Health System in Georgia. Thaw’s organization, like almost every hospital in America, had invested millions in implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) system. Whether there was pressure on the IT department to roll out the new software before it was fully tested is unclear, but according to the Athens Banner-Herald, the result was near-chaos.
Physicians sent a formal letter of complaint to the hospital’s administration claiming the implementation process was too aggressive and resulted in “medication errors, orders being lost or overlooked, emergency-department patients leaving after long waits, and an inpatient who wasn’t seen by a physician for five days.”
The letter was published less than two weeks after the hospital’s PR department proudly touted the new, integrated system as “the most meaningful and largest-scale information-technology system in its 95 year history.”
Thaw and Chief Information Officer Gretchen Tegethoff have since resigned. Whether they were responsible for pressing the ‘go live’ button prematurely is unknown. Most hospitals contract with a team of external consultants who sit alongside representatives of the institution’s medical and administrative staff to oversee implementation over a one- to four-year timeframe. The fate of those consultants and team members is unknown.
So, what’s an executive to do? Most CEOs got to where they are because of their strategic abilities, not necessarily their technical strengths. What questions should they be asking their staff regarding major IT decisions?
“It comes down to two words: integration and communication,” said Michael Feld, president of VertitechIT, a nationally renowned expert consultant in IT management, and the acting chief technology officer at Lancaster General Hospital. “IT is the engine that keeps an organization running, but oftentimes, CEOs will treat the department as a necessary evil. Your IT people need to know where the company is going and how technology will play a role in that growth. When they don’t, you’ve got problems.”
Feld offers up three areas of advice on how to avoid an IT disaster that could have implications in the C-suite and the entire company:
• You wouldn’t think of launching a new sales or product initiative without announcing and getting buy-in from the sales and marketing departments. Integrate your IT department in the same way. Make sure everyone, from your chief information officer to front-line system engineers, understand issues that affect the life of the company. Everyone should understand IT’s role in achieving those goals.
• Plan an off-site retreat with your CIO. He or she is, after all, no different than the CEO, one level down. Senior company executives need to know what your network can do, not necessarily how it’s done. Place the focus on understanding risks, benefits, costs, and the relationships all of them have to each other.
• Put your personal biases on the shelf. That new company initiative may have been born in your office, but it’s easy to fool yourself into believing that IT can just make it happen. Keep asking questions and challenge whether your internal systems and people are ready to press ‘go.’ Is there a fail-safe, redundant backup plan in place when something goes wrong? Are your internal people trained and fluent in its operation, and are there outside resources lined up for those special situations? If the answer is no, find out why.
No one wants to just throw money at a problem, hoping it will go away. But you can’t fight a fire without a long enough hose, and that new fire truck will be useless if there’s not enough water coming from the hydrant. In the end, it’s the chief that will take responsibility if things spin out of control. To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, ultimately, you can prevent forest fires. n
Greg Pellerin is a 15-year veteran of the telecommunications and IT industries and a co-founder of VertitechIT, one of the fastest-growing business and healthcare IT networking and consulting firms in the country; (413) 268-1605; [email protected]
Valley Gives Opens Registration to Nonprofits
WESTERN MASS. — Valley Gives, the highly successful fund-raising event launched in 2012, has opened registration to nonprofits in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. Set for Dec. 10, Valley Gives is a 24-hour e-philanthropy program that encourages supporters of nonprofits based in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties to log on and contribute via www.valleygivesday.org — a centralized, web-enabled, mobile giving platform. The initiative is organized and hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Joining the effort as partners are eight of the leading funding organizations in Western Mass., including the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Jewish Endowment Foundation, the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, United Way of Hampshire County, United Way of Franklin County, United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, and the Beveridge Family Foundation. In its first two years, Valley Gives has raised more than $3 million from more than 15,000 donors. “This year’s goal is to encourage as many people as possible to donate to their favorite group or groups. Our survey last year indicated that an overwhelming 99% of participants that completed our survey want to donate again this year,” said Kristin Leutz, vice president of Philanthropic Services for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. “Could we get to 20,000 participants this year? We think this is a realistic and exciting goal.” Nonprofits that participate this year will find some changes with the way the event is organized. Based on suggestions of past participants, nonprofits will find a more flexible sign-up period with easier registration, a new prize-pool structure making it easier for nonprofits of all sizes to win, and even more training opportunities that will be provided on an expanded schedule both in person and online. Nonprofit organizations that serve Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties have until Nov. 14 to register to participate. Interested nonprofits may register at www.valleygivesday.org. Nonprofits that register by Sept. 1 will be eligible to win one of three randomly selected $500 awards donated by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.
UMass President Announces Science and Technology Awards
BOSTON — UMass President Robert Caret announced $865,000 in grants to faculty members from the President’s Science and Technology Initiatives Fund to support several promising research projects. They range from using big-data analytics in climatology and healthcare to developing radar-like laser technology known as LIDAR to study wind energy and ocean and forested environments. The initiatives showcase a range of innovative research being undertaken by UMass faculty members that contribute to the growth of the Commonwealth’s economy, especially in the science and technology areas, and extend the boundaries of human knowledge. The grants help accelerate research activity across all five campuses and position researchers to attract larger investments from external sources to expand the scope of their projects. “With the level of the federal government’s support of R&D still in question, we must do all we can to support the university’s role in the state’s innovation economy,” Caret said. “We are committed to strengthening our economic engagement in strategic areas such as clean energy, the environment, life sciences, and big data, and these grants are another step in that direction.” This is the 11th year of awards from the President’s Science and Technology Initiatives Fund, one of three funds that Caret supports to help advance the work of UMass faculty members. The other two are the Creative Economy Initiatives Fund and the Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property Technology Development Fund. Since 2004, the Science and Technology fund has provided $10 million to UMass researchers, which in turn has helped to generate $240 million in funding from federal and private sources. These science and technology investments have been one of the factors in helping the university grow its research and development budget to nearly $600 million. The investments have helped to establish some of the most important R&D centers across the state, including the Center for Hierarchical Nanomanufacturing at UMass Amherst; the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy at UMass Boston; the Center for Scientific Computing and Data Visualization Research at UMass Dartmouth; the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center and New England Robotics and Validation & Experimentation Center at UMass Lowell; and the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science at UMass Worcester. Nearly 80 projects representing the breadth of academic inquiry at UMass have been funded to date. This year’s projects receiving grants from the Science and Technology Initiatives Fund include:
• UMass Cancer Avatar Institute, Dale Greiner and Giles Whalen, UMass Medical School: a proposed multi-campus institute that would provide mice engineered as ‘avatars’ of individual human patient tumors, enabling technology developed for diabetes research to be used to integrate biomarker identification platform for multiple cancer types. The initiative has three components: establishment of a tumor bank, which has already begun via internal funds; clinical pathology evaluation of tumors in these specialized mice; and a new ‘humanized mouse core’ to link the tumor bank to individual investigators in multiple cancer-research fields. Award: $125,000 (not including an additional $25,000 matching grant provided by the medical school, for a total of $150,000 in funding to the research team).
• Center for Computational Climatology & Paleoclimatology, Robert DeConto and Raymond Bradley, UMass Amherst: an effort that brings together academic scientists and engineers, industrial researchers, and users of high-performance computing resources to the issue of climate change. The grant will help develop a center for climate-related computation and numerical modeling of value to the Commonwealth, and contribute to the field of climate science by applying big-data computational analysis, modeling, data mining, and visualization to climate-change research. Award: $104,000.
• Center for MicroBiome Research, Beth McCormick, UMass Medical School: a project that proposes to develop a center of research and education for the ‘microbiome,’ the term used to describe the ecosystem of the 100 trillion bacteria in the human body, in collaboration with UMass Amherst’s new Life Sciences Laboratories and the UMass Dartmouth Center for Scientific Computing and Data Visualization Research. The exploration of the microbiome — and its role in health, development, and disease — is a vast, mostly untapped area of biomedical research and therapeutic potential. The center proposes to use big-data analysis (advanced computational and bioinformatics) to research microbiome-related genomic and clinical data, and involves multiple industry partners. Award: $125,000 (not including an additional $25,000 matching grant provided by the medical school, for a total of $150,000 in funding to the research team).
• Mass. BioFoundry, Center for Discovery & Synthesis of Bioactive Molecules, Elizabeth Vierling and Susan Roberts, UMass Amherst: an initiative establishing a ‘biofoundry’ with the goal of discovering valuable molecules from unique plant and microbial species and developing processes, either biological or chemical, by which they can be produced in quantities sufficient for medical or industrial applications. This research center will include a natural-products library (3,500 plant species) donated by an industry partner, along with related research equipment, valued at more than $1 million. The team will work with the medical school’s Small-Molecule Screening Facility and Northeastern University’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center. Award: $150,000.
Developer Sought for Tornado-damaged Elias Brookings School
SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield has released a request for proposals seeking a developer for the former Elias Brookings School building located on Hancock Street in the Six Corners neighborhood. “We’re very excited about the potential of this property and bringing new life back to a former school building,” said Mayor Domenic Sarno. “There has been significant interest in this opportunity, and we expect that will translate into strong competition for the property.” The former Elias Brookings School site is an important part of the overall revitalization of the Six Corners and Old Hill neighborhoods. The building is located in the midst of significant infrastructure investments planned for the next two years, which include roadway improvements, upgraded streetscapes and lighting, a new middle school, a renovated park, and new, single-family homes along Central Street. The city has already committed $13 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for several projects in the neighborhood. Construction of the new Elias Brookings School has already begun, and the school is scheduled to open in 2015. Further, infrastructure-improvement projects such as the realignment of Central Street and installation of streetscape improvements are anticipated to begin in the next construction season. The RFP is available in the Office of Procurement, Springfield City Hall, 36 Court St., Room 307. Proposals are due on Sept. 12 by 2 p.m.
Community Foundation Awards Team Jessica $25,000 for Playground
BELCHERTOWN — Team Jessica Inc. has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Credit Data Services Inc. Fund and the Edwin P. and Wilbur O. Lepper Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Team Jessica will use these funds to support the building of Jessica’s Boundless Playground (JBP), an effort that has been ongoing for the past four years. JBP will be the only 100% all-inclusive playground in the area. It is designed to be a multi-generational activity structure that engages people of all ages and abilities. JBP will also allow wounded veterans in long-term rehab to experience the healing power and simple joy of playing with their own children. The playground equipment and poured-in-place rubber surfacing will cost approximately $405,000. Team Jessica has hosted several fund-raising events over the past four years, and the effort has raised more than $300,000, including three Community Preservation Act grants from the town of Belchertown totaling $140,000, and a $40,000 grant from the Beveridge Family Foundation. This $25,000 Community Foundation grant will bring the fund-raising total to $325,000. “We’re in the last phase of fund-raising, working very hard every day,” said Vicky Martins Auffrey, Team Jessica president and mother of the playground’s namesake. “We plan to order the equipment on Aug. 1 and start the community build Sept. 13. Being awarded this grant is such an honor and makes all our plans closer to reality.” Added Patti Thornton, Team Jessica’s grant writer, “these final weeks before ordering the playground equipment are crucial in regard to fund-raising. We are waiting to hear back from a few key players, so getting the letter from the Community Foundation was something we needed. It is helping us keep the momentum into the home stretch.” To learn more, visit www.teamjessicaonline.com, www.facebook.com/teamjessicainc, and www.twitter.com/teamjessicainc.
State Unemployment Rate Drops to 5.5% in June
BOSTON — The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, citing preliminary estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported that Massachusetts added 3,700 jobs in June for a total of 3,409,500 jobs, and the total unemployment rate edged down one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.5% from the May rate. The rate is the lowest since August 2008. Since June 2013, Massachusetts has added a net of 48,900 jobs, with 49,400 jobs added in the private sector and 500 jobs lost in the public sector. The total unemployment rate in June was down 1.6% from the June 2013 rate of 7.1%.
State Announces Grants for Water Protection, Habitat Restoration
BOSTON — Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary (EEA) Maeve Vallely Bartlett announced $429,239 in grants from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) for projects to protect and restore rivers, watersheds, and wildlife across the Commonwealth, including two awards in Western Mass. “The Massachusetts Environmental Trust has been a critical conservation leader in protecting the vital waterways of Massachusetts for over 20 years,” said Bartlett. “By communities and conservation partners collaborating and working together with the Commonwealth, we can develop important projects for maintaining and protecting our clean waters for generations to come.” Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, the grants will help support 13 projects in Amherst, Great Barrington, Ipswich, Lee, Lincoln, Methuen, Newton, Plymouth, Provincetown, Taunton, Wareham, Weston, and Westport. The local projects include:
• Town of Amherst, $36,100 to study the contamination of Fearing Brook, and to develop and begin to implement remedial strategies to improve the water quality of the brook.
• Town of Great Barrington, $30,000 to study water quality in Lake Mansfield.
• Housatonic Valley Assoc. in Lee, $15,911 to design and install stormwater vegetative buffers to reduce roadway runoff into Churchill Brook in Pittsfield.
Since it was founded in 1988 as part of the Boston Harbor cleanup, MET has awarded more than $19 million in grants to organizations statewide that provide a wide array of environmental services, from supporting water projects in communities to protecting coastal habitats.
UMass President Awards $270,000 for Creative-economy Initiatives
BOSTON — President Robert Caret announced $270,000 in grants from the President’s Creative Economy Initiatives Fund to support eight projects by UMass faculty members in the arts, humanities, and social sciences that will bring new creative resources to Massachusetts communities. The initiatives include supporting an LGBT community archives and education center in Northampton, developing a marketing toolkit to help nonprofit arts and cultural organizations involved in the creative economy in the Fall River-New Bedford area, and collaborating with the Peace Institute in the Dorchester section of Boston to assist victims of violence. “The Creative Economy Initiatives Fund provides us with a unique opportunity to contribute the talent and resources of the University of Massachusetts to communities and organizations across the state that are helping to enrich the quality of life in the Commonwealth,” said Caret. “These projects — and the partnerships with nonprofits and creative industries that stem from them — are foundational to our role as an institution that is committed to making a difference wherever and whenever we can.” The fund was created in 2007 to complement the President’s Science and Technology Initiatives Fund. In its eight years of operation, the Creative Economy Initiatives Fund has made 73 awards totaling more than $2 million. It has supported preservation of the W.E.B. Du Bois boyhood home in Great Barrington and established both the Lowell Youth Orchestra and a permanent Jack Kerouac education and tourism site in Lowell. It has brought UMass Dartmouth students together with Durfee High School students to create a photographic history of Fall River’s neighborhoods, helped establish a women artisans’ cooperative in New Bedford, developed a workers’ upholstery co-op in Springfield, and sponsored numerous music, dance, and theatre performances in Boston, Amherst, and Lowell. This year, the Creative Economy Initiatives Fund will provide $270,000 in grants to the following local initiatives and faculty members:
• Judyie Al-Bilali, Gilbert McCauley, and Priscilla Page, Theatre Department, UMass Amherst: “Art, Legacy & Community.” Project staff will work with community groups in the Greater Springfield area to produce an original theater production and develop Du Bois Performance Workshops for education in multicultural theater, with both activities to take place in Springfield. Amount awarded: $32,000.
• Mitch Boucher, University Without Walls; Julio Capo Jr., History Department and Commonwealth Honors College; and Jessica Johnson, History Department, all at UMass Amherst: “A LGBTQI Community Archives and Education Center.” This project will support the Sexual Minorities Archives (SMA) in Northampton, helping SMA preserve, build, and provide wider access to its resources; develop regional walking tours and other interactive programs; and establish greater national and international community links for these unique and valuable historical materials. Amount awarded: $29,334.
Construction Industry Adds 6,000 Jobs in June
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. construction industry added 6,000 jobs in June, according to the July 3 report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, non-residential construction added only 700 of those jobs, and the heavy and civil engineering sector lost 700 jobs. “Although non-residential construction’s performance is somewhat disappointing, the general tenor of today’s employment report is upbeat. It is worth noting that non-residential construction tends to lag that of the overall economy,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Today’s jobs numbers are largely a reflection of the softer growth recorded by the U.S. economy for much of last year and during the initial months of 2014. Given that the economy added over 200,000 jobs for the fifth consecutive month in June, there is some optimism about improvement in the second quarter; however, the lack of monthly construction employment growth, particularly in the non-residential sector, is troubling.” Although the national construction unemployment rate stands at 8.2% on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, there are parts of the nation in which unemployment is far lower, Basu added. “In fact, there are emerging shortages of industrial construction workers in growing segments of the south, which will trigger large increases in wages and per diems during the year ahead. By contrast, there are communities in which construction unemployment remains well above the 8.2% average, suggesting that wage inflation will be meaningfully experienced only in certain communities.” According to the BLS household survey, the national unemployment rate fell to 6.1% in June, reaching its lowest level since September 2008. The civilian labor force expanded by 81,000 in June. Individual sectors saw the following changes:
• Non-residential building construction employment increased by 2,100 jobs for the month, but is up by 22,200 jobs, or 3.3%, since June 2013.
• Residential building construction employment rose by 4,500 jobs in June and is up by 50,600 jobs, or 8.3%, on an annual basis.
• Non-residential specialty trade contractors lost 1,400 jobs for the month, but employment in that category is up by 29,500 jobs, or 1.4%, from the same time last year.
• Residential specialty trade contractors gained 2,100 jobs in June and have added 55,700 jobs, or 3.6%, since June 2013.
• The heavy and civil engineering construction segment lost 700 jobs in June, but job totals are up by 28,300, or 3.2%, on a year-over-year basis.
Home Prices Up,but Sales Slower
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. home prices rose 8.8% in May compared with a year earlier, but the pace of gains has slowed as more homes have come onto the market, data provider CoreLogic reported this week. On a month-to-month basis, prices rose 1.2% from April to May, but CoreLogic’s monthly figures aren’t adjusted for seasonal patterns, such as warmer weather, which can affect sales. Prices increased the most in western states, including Hawaii, California, and Nevada.
Sophisticated Technology Changes the Way Hearing Aids Work
James Caldarola, left, and Jeffrey Halls say qualified professionals customize hearing aids to fit a person’s preferences as well as their home and work environments.
“He told me he sat on a perch in a tree for days without any luck,” Halls, co-owner of Baystate Hearing Aids in West Springfield, recalled. “Then, he looked down and saw two deer right beneath him. He hadn’t heard them moving through the woods, and that prompted him to seek help for his hearing loss.”
This story is typical of what he hears from customers, he went on, adding that the man knew his hearing had declined, but like many people, failed to address the problem until it affected an activity he loved.
Statistics from the Hearing Loss Assoc. of America show that 48 million adults in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss. It is the third-most-common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease, and although most people associate the condition with aging, 65% of Americans with hearing loss are under age 65, and the majority are in the workforce.
But most people wait five to seven years to seek help. Experts say some think their hearing loss is not advanced enough to do anything about it, while others, working with outdated information, don’t want to be seen wearing a hearing aid.
Indeed, today’s hearing aids have kept up with advances in technology, and some are so small they are almost invisible to the eye. There are a wide variety of styles to choose from and a vast array of programs that are coupled with the computer chips inside them. In fact, many automatically adapt to different physical settings and have Bluetooth connectivity.
“People often avoid seeing a specialist about their hearing loss because they think a hearing aid will make them look old. But a hearing loss is more obvious than today’s hearing aids,” said audiologist Susan Bankoski Chunyk, who owns Hampden Hearing Center in East Longmeadow.
James Caldarola agrees. “People are surprised at the size and clarity of the hearing aids available today, and with Bluetooth, they work better with phones and TVs than they did in the past,” said the co-owner of Baystate Hearing Aids. “Hearing aids can’t restore a person’s hearing, but they can make it a lot better. And since most hearing loss is gradual, many people aren’t aware of what they could be missing.”
Chunyk explained that a person who is gradually losing their hearing may not notice they have stopped hearing environmental sounds, such as crickets chirping or the click of a directional signal in a car. “But family members, friends, and co-workers may notice the person is having trouble understanding them.”
People often compensate for the problem by talking more loudly to the person with the hearing loss or repeating themselves.
But it’s not a good solution, and ignoring the problem can lead to other health issues, including dementia.
“Mild untreated hearing loss doubles your risk for dementia, moderate untreated hearing loss triples it, and severe untreated loss makes dementia five times more likely,” said Chunyk. “In addition, research shows links between untreated hearing loss and depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem, fatigue, isolation, and loneliness.
“It is important to act sooner rather than later because better hearing improves every aspect of a person’s life,” she went on. “But, unfortunately, only 15% to 20% of people with hearing loss ever seek help.”
However, the problem is growing and is now linked to a variety of health conditions. “New research shows hearing loss is twice as common in adults with diabetes, smokers, and people with heart disease,” she told BusinessWest. “It is also common in people with kidney disease.”
Hearing loss can be hereditary or related to aging, occupational noise, or frequent use of earbuds with the volume turned on high. “In many of these cases, it is preventable,” Chunyk said, adding that using earbuds for extended periods of time with the volume turned up can be dangerous.
Caldarola said there is a need for increased awareness about hearing loss along with the technological advances that make today’s hearing aids comfortable to wear and smarter than they were in the past. “Some people don’t think they have a loss because they can hear things far away or can hear some sounds very well. But we recommend that people over the age of 40 get tested every two or three years,” he said.
Technological Advances
Most hearing aids sold in the U.S. are digital, and are a vast improvement over older analog models, which were difficult to adjust and amplified background noise as well as speech. Today’s models respond to noise in the environment, so people don’t have to experience problems associated with feedback and echoes.
“Today’s hearing aids are all digital, which allows us to customize them to make sounds clear and natural,” Caldarola said, explaining that people hear over a range of sound, which involves tone and pitch.
Chunyk concurred. “Thirty years ago, we used to adjust hearing-aid settings with a tiny screwdriver; this limited the range of possible adjustments,” she said. “But today’s digital instruments are programmed via the computer, which makes the adjustments more precise and personalized to an individual’s needs. The newest hearing aids are sleek and discreet, so they are less visible and more comfortable to wear. In fact, some people who get them are so excited about how small they are that they take them out and show them to their friends.”
The new devices are also adaptable. “In the past, if someone got a hearing aid and their hearing changed, they were forced to get a new one. But today, we can reprogram a hearing aid in minutes,” Halls said.
A hearing test will determine whether a person will benefit from a hearing aid, and if it can make a difference, they will be shown models that meet their cosmetic preferences and lifestyle needs.
“Not all hearing aids are the same,” Chunyk said. “We pick a category that is appropriate for mild to moderate hearing loss or a severe degree of loss. There are also super-power or ultra-power aids for people with profound hearing loss.”
Halls said people hear over a spectrum, which includes high to low pitch. “The ability to hear high pitches makes speech clear,” he explained, adding that the newest hearing aids will allow people to hear sounds such as a bird chirping outside their window, although the pitch may sound a bit different than it does to people without a hearing loss.
Hearing aids are classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as medical devices, but many people confuse them with over-the-counter models that can be purchased at retail stores or via the Internet.
“The over-the counter models are simply sound-amplifying devices,” Chunyk noted, adding that she has patients who have told her they purchased them, then threw them away because they didn’t help.
“Hearing loss is not just about volume; more often, it is about clarity, which can only be addressed with professional help,” she continued, adding that, although most hearing loss cannot be treated medically, hearing aids can do a lot to restore hearing.
Susan Bankoski Chunyk shows off a device that can stream sound from a cell phone to a hearing aid with the touch of a button.
For example, some have a feature that allows them to automatically adjust to a quiet place or noisy setting.
“If the person is in a quiet room, the hearing aid will go into surround-sound mode,” said Chunyk. “But if they walk into a noisy restaurant with competing noise, the instrument will activate directional microphones which automatically focus forward and reduce sound from the side and back so the wearer can hear the person in front of them.
“At the same time, there is noise-reduction circuitry inside that will recognize a voice and focus on it, while reducing everything else,” she continued. “Older hearing aids often required people to push a button to make changes, but today’s models do it automatically with more precision.”
Another major improvement is the reduction of feedback. “Older styles used to give off a high-pitched squeal if a person hugged someone or did anything that blocked the aid,” Chunyk told BusinessWest. “But today’s technology controls feedback much more effectively.”
These high-tech hearing aids come in many styles, but many factors go into choosing the one that is right for each individual. “Part of the selection process is knowing what the person’s preferences are for sound and what type of environment they are in every day,” she explained. “The needs of a very active person are different than someone who is home all the time just watching TV.”
New Features
Today’s hearing aids work well with other electronic devices. “There is connectivity between hearing instruments and mobile phones, land lines, and televisions,” Chunyk said. “For example, one manufacturer makes a model that allows a person to wear a small device around their neck that is paired with their cell phone. When the phone rings, they push a button on the device, and it streams the sound to their hearing aid through a microphone. If there is too much background noise, they can hold the streamer close to their face to eliminate it.”
Caldarola noted that Bluetooth technology has resulted in hearing aids which automatically cue into a phone. “In the past, people had to push a button to hear on the phone, but now many models are automatic and have features that reduce background noise without manual intervention, so speech is more intelligible,” he explained.
Other accessories include lapel microphone clips that can be put on another person’s collar in a place like a noisy restaurant. “It sends the person’s voice to the hearing aid,” said Chunyk, adding that several manufacturers have hearing aids that are made to be compatible with iPhones and work through free apps.
However, there is a lot to know about purchasing a hearing aid, and Caldarola and Halls offer the following advice:
• Ask people who wear hearing aids where they got them and if they were happy with the service;
• Ask about the seller’s return policy and if they can repair hearing aids on the premises;
• If you have been fitted with a hearing aid and experience a problem, ask for help in resolving it. Most people need several visits before the settings reflect their preferences;
• Ask if additional features can be added later on, like Bluetooth or a remote control; and
• Ask about any additional costs that will be charged after you purchase the hearing aid.
Halls said fitting a hearing aid is a process. He and Caldarola advise clients to wear a new device for a week, then return so adjustments can be made. “Sometimes it takes several visits to achieve a goal.”
In some instances, they have had to go to the person’s home to solve the problem. For example, one woman who complained her refrigerator sounded too loud discovered it was too loud and she needed a new one.
But in many cases, hearing aids can be fine-tuned. “We can add a program for golfers that will eliminate wind noise,” Halls said, citing one example.
Ringing in the ears can also be masked. But people need to be realistic, because hearing aids have limitations, and some situations may continue to be problematic, such as hearing a person who talks rapidly, mumbles, or speaks very softly. “In these instances, even with a hearing aid, it can be difficult for the person to understand 100% of what is being said,” Caldarola said. “It’s unrealistic to expect to restore hearing to the way it was when a person was 16 years old.”
But hearing aids have internal memories, and experts can tell how often it switches from one mode to another, which helps the fitter to make adjustments.
Moving Forward
Caldarola has two patents for hearing aids, and his latest model is called the Micro-Air. It is suspended in the ear canal, and what sets it apart from other instruments is that it allows natural sounds to pass through the ear canal while amplifying the frequencies that the person who wears it is missing. The result is the elimination of background noise and echoing which plagued many people in the past.
Such advances will continue, and technology has come so far, there is no reason why people should shy away from the thought of visiting a hearing specialist.
“More than 75% of people with hearing loss could benefit from a hearing aid,” Caldarola said. “If the loss starts affecting your life, it’s time to get checked.”
Chunyk concurred. “People shouldn’t wait,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s a whole new world.”
The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2014.
AMHERST
Peter Grandonico
15 North Pleasant St.
$4,350 — Renovations in Unit 35
CHICOPEE
Chicopee Granby Road Solar, LLC
431 Granby Road
$5,000,000 — Solar panel project
333 Memorial Drive, LLC
333 Memorial Dr.
$27,000 — Strip and re-roof
LUDLOW
CA Smith Lumber
84 Hubbard St.
$50,000 — Commercial lumber rack
McDonald’s
420 Center St.
$732,000 — Construction of a new restaurant
SOUTH HADLEY
L. Shatz, Schwartz, Fentin
8 Industrial Dr.
$18,000 — Install new antennas
SPRINGFIELD
American Red Cross
150 Brookdale Dr.
$940,000 — Interior fitout
HGI, LLC
820 Hall of Fame Ave.
$60,000 — Interior renovation for Pizzeria Uno
Picknelly Family, L.M.
1414 Main St.
$800,000 — Interior build-out of new offices
Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$215,500 — Interior renovation of offices
WESTFIELD
RSP Realty, LLC
57 Union St.
$100,000 — Medical office build-out
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Comfort Inn
106 Capital Dr.
$140,000 — Interior renovations
Fentre Pearson
50 Century Way
$30,000 — Renovate 2,200 square feet of existing office space
John Monaghan
306 Westfield St.
$12,000 — Fit out for an 850-square-foot hair salon
Bay State Is Gaining Ground — Literally
By JACK CLARKE
By the year 2050, Massachusetts needs 52% of the Commonwealth to be permanently conserved as open space.
Currently, a quarter of the Bay State’s 5 million acres of space is developed, a quarter is protected, and the rest is up for grabs.
Of that remaining land, we need to set aside a little over half, or 1.5 million acres. These are the lands identified by scientists, state environmental agencies, and the land-trust community as most important to the biological diversity of the Commonwealth, and critical to a strong, healthy, and vibrant environment — an environment undergoing rapid, unprecedented climate change.
That leaves more than a million acres available for development. Building on that land will require a statewide strategic-planning initiative that advances the best available smart-growth techniques while supporting the economy and our quality of life. This includes conservation subdivision design, transit-oriented development, and zoning that protects Massachusetts’ traditional working landscapes of forests, farms, and waterfronts.
Over the past decade, Massachusetts targeted real estate worthy of acquisition by focusing on protecting endangered species, establishing woodlands and parks, and guarding drinking-water supplies. Today however, as the planet rapidly warms, there is an urgent need to step up the pace of land stewardship by defending the remaining critical natural areas from not only the bulldozer but also the severe impacts of human-induced climate change.
Achieving our land-conservation targets does not mean job done, work over, mission accomplished. The focus of our efforts will shift as we strive further to restore ecosystems to a condition that takes advantage of their resiliency and adaptability. This renewed natural defense will ready the ecology of the Commonwealth to face the impacts of global warming and the more frequent storms, rapidly rising seas, and temperature extremes that go along with it.
The tasks include rebuilding wetlands, rivers, and watersheds to re-establish their flood-storage capacity; sustainably protecting forests so they can clean the air, filter water, and absorb heat-trapping carbon pollution; and managing coastal beaches, banks, and dunes for their ability to save people and uplands from hurricane-force storm surges.
In its newly released fifth edition of the series “Losing Ground,” Mass Audubon reports that, between 2005 and 2013, public and private organizations protected 41 acres a day of green space and developed 13. Not bad for the third-most densely populated state in the union, especially when compared with our recent development history.
Back in 1987, Mass Audubon documented that, in the previous six years, more than 100,000 acres of land were built upon. As recently as 2003, 40 acres a day were being consumed by large-lot development and suburban sprawl, with only 20 a day being protected. Six years later, those figures reversed in a real success story for Massachusetts.
The fact that we have managed to slow the rate of open-space conversion and protect more land over the last decade demonstrates how well-planned conservation efforts can work alongside economic-development initiatives. While protecting open space, Massachusetts has been rebounding from the Great Recession and credit crunch, with housing starts, job creation, and overall growth on the upswing. This is proof we can do both: conserve land and provide for the economic well-being of our residents.
By targeting places most suited to protection and areas most appropriate for development, we can ensure that we will continue to safeguard the public health, grow the economy, and support the environment. Our responsibility, to this and succeeding generations, is to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife in the face of a rapidly warming climate.
Jack Clarke is director of public policy and government relations for Mass Audubon.
Is This as Good as the Recovery Is Going to Get?
Mike Oleksak says positive things are happening with the economy, but many business owners don’t believe what they’re seeing and hearing.
That’s because, in his view, this is about as real as it’s going to get.
“At this point, we’re really past the recovery phase; the recession ended five years ago,” said Mayer, senior vice president for communications and research at Associated Industries of Massachusetts. “We never had the recovery we were hoping for and expecting — that big burst of growth where GDP goes up quickly and rejoins the prior trend line. It never happened.”
And it’s very likely that it just won’t happen, at least not any time soon, he said, adding that business owners would be wise to accept this state of the economy and get on with hiring people, expanding their ventures, and moving forward rather than waiting for that aforementioned burst.
And he believes many are doing just that.
“We have been adding quite a few jobs in the first quarter of this year, when the national economy was contracting,” he said, adding that ‘we,’ in this case, refers to the state as a whole, but includes Western Mass. “And that, to me, seems to reflect a change of attitude. In other words, employers, instead of hunkering down and going all out to preserve productivity and not dilute it, because that’s what got them through the recession, are now taking a more sustainable path and sort of coming to the realization that this is the economy we have to live with.”
Bob Nakosteen, professor of Economics at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, agreed, and pointed to the latest unemployment figures as evidence of what he considered progress, at least in some respects.
Indeed, while the state’s jobless rate fell to 5.5% in June, the lowest since August 2008, and 3,700 jobs were added, the manufacturing sector lost more than 1,000 jobs, and the construction industry lost more than 900, what Nakosteen called “hidden disappointments.”
And he said they may provide more evidence of something that many are now calling ‘secular stagnation,’ or ‘economic immobilism,’ terms that aren’t new — they go back at least as far as the Great Depression — but are being summoned with greater frequency by many economists to help describe and explain the phenomenon that Mayer touched on: a recovery that certainly doesn’t look or feel like one.
“There are a number of factors in our economy, some of them demographic, some of them technological, some of them stemming from globalization, that imply that we’re simply not going to experience the growth in this economy that we have in the past, especially job growth,” said Nakosteen while explaining secular stagnation, which he said is now being hotly debated in the “economics blogosphere.” “The workforce is getting older and large numbers are retiring, technology is developing quickly — but it’s doing so in a way that seems to be removing jobs rather than adding jobs — and globalization continues to put great pressure on our domestic workforce, especially the blue-collar occupations and manufacturing.
“And the prospects for any of this changing are simply not good,” he went on, adding that some economists believe it may be decades before the current scene improves markedly.
Meanwhile, the tepid state of the recovery is being reflected by ongoing caution on the part of area business owners, said commercial lenders we spoke with, who noted that many, perhaps still waiting for that burst they have seen following other downturns, such as the ones in the mid-’90s and just after 9/11, are hesitant about pulling the trigger on expansions or new hiring.
“I don’t see anybody really jumping in full force to bring people back or undertake plant expansion,” said Michael Oleksak, executive vice president and chief lending officer at Holyoke-based PeoplesBank. “Everyone is still pretty hesitant.”
Luke Kettles, senior vice president and chief lending officer at Hampden Bank, agreed, summoning a phrase that has been given a thorough workout over the past several years.
“People are guardedly optimistic,” he said, adding that, in this case, that means they often lack the confidence to move ahead with expansion plans or new hiring.
“Employers are not adding people unless they really need to,” he explained, adding that most are still looking to improve efficiency and trim fat rather than add to their workforces.
For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the state of the recovery, such as it is, and whether any change in the forecast can be expected any time soon.
Dollar Signs
While secular stagnation, if that’s what the region is experiencing, is a mostly negative term, there are some positives to be gleaned from recent economic statistics and trends, said both Nakosteen and Mayer.
Perhaps the most important of these is that the recovery — and job growth — has finally extended beyond the Greater Boston area, said Nakosteen, adding that both Central and Western Mass. are enjoying better unemployment numbers of late.
The June jobs report provides more evidence of this, he noted, but real signs of improvement started appearing earlier in the spring.
“Over the past few months, unemployment rates have come down dramatically in metropolitan areas in the Berkshires and Springfield, where they were the highest,” he noted. “This is a really good thing. It doesn’t mean they’re low enough to make you feel you’re in a true recovery, but for the first time since the recovery began, it now seems to be extending past Route 495.”
Mayer agreed. “Growth has evened out a good deal,” he told BusinessWest, adding that the Greater Boston area recovered quickly and profoundly after the recession while most of the rest of the state lagged well behind.
“Over the past year, the jobs have been added in the Worcester and Springfield metro areas at the same rate as in the Boston and MetroWest areas,” he noted. “At this point, we’re seeing growth, albeit modest growth, on the labor-market side almost everywhere.”
Luke Kettles says some sectors, such as senior housing, are experiencing growth, but by and large, many business owners are hesitant about expanding or new hiring.
“One reason, maybe the main reason, why this recession was such a bad one is that it seems to have knocked our GDP down a few percentage points long-term — we haven’t just bounced right back to that point where we left off,” he said. “And by now, waiting for that to happen doesn’t seem realistic, although we are on an upward track.”
Nakosteen concurred. “Sometimes after a recession, we’d have 9% or 10% gross-domestic-product growth for a year or two — it was just stunning,” he said. “We haven’t done better than two or three percentage points the past several years, and I just don’t think you’re going to see that big figure ever again.
“That’s a dangerous thing for me to say,” he added quickly, reflecting on the gravity of his own words. “But I’m buying into this secular-stagnation argument, and I don’t know what to tell people except that, however they have to adjust to the idea that there may not be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, they’d probably better at least think that through.”
Referencing the declines in both manufacturing and construction jobs, he said those numbers, if they don’t change, are ample evidence that the recovery lacks “oomph,” and that this is as good as it is likely to get.
“I thought manufacturing, and construction as well, were on very positive trajectories, and that this might continue more or less unabated,” he noted. “Now, there’s been an abatement.”
That said, both Mayer and Nakosteen anticipate further improvement in the economy, especially if business owners and managers can somehow gain the confidence needed to expand operations and add to their workforces — and consumers can buy again — possibly by recognizing the new economic reality for what it is, and making it better than it’s been.
“It’s time for us to not wait for magic, but to think hard about what we can do to continually make our economic climate better,” Nakosteen said.
Lending Credence
But Oleksak and Kettles said there are still a number of factors holding area business owners back when it comes to hiring and borrowing to expand.
And many are still continuing to do what essentially got them through the recession, said Oleksak, referring to everything from better inventory control to improving production efficiencies to controlling or, in many cases, reducing salary.
Uncertainty about health-insurance costs is one of the factors leading to hesitancy, he noted, adding that these expenses have been a drain on hiring for some time because they keep going up and there is little, if anything, to indicate that this trend will not continue.
Meanwhile, interest rates, which are still historically low but moving back up and projected to continue rising, are another impediment to progress.
“We’ve had such low interest rates for so long that’s there’s also concern about over-leveraging yourself in light of the fact that we’re going to see some higher interest rates down the road,” he explained. “And when interest rates start increasing, there’s more concern about the economy, with people asking if we’re going to fall backward again.”
Kettles said that some sectors, such as senior living, medical office facilities, social services, and even self-storage, are doing well, and Hampden Bank is having a solid year in commercial lending, due in part to the many bank mergers in recent years.
Still, he also sees hesitancy among many business owners, especially when it comes to hiring.
“Benefit costs are increasing, and healthcare costs are pretty significant, so people do not hire unless it’s really necessary,” he said. “Profit margins may be improving, nationally as well as locally, but I think it’s through improving efficiencies and doing more with less. People aren’t going out and adding a position unless they really need to, and a lot of times they’ll try to use part-time labor until they really need a full-time position.”
Kettles noted that many of the manufacturers the bank does business with have been willing to make investments in new equipment and technology, but these purchases often translate to fewer jobs, not more of them.
Overall, confidence, or the lack thereof, remains a factor as well, said both Kettles and Oleksak, noting that, while the June jobs report is generally positive, business owners aren’t necessarily buying into such reports.
“There is some improvement going on,” said Oleksak, “and people are being cautiously optimistic, but I’m not sure they’re really believing what they’re seeing.”
As evidence of this, he cited the residential real-estate market. While those at PeoplesBank and other institutions were expecting the refinancing market to slow this year, mainly because most everyone who could refinance already has, they were expecting sales to pick up, but they haven’t.
“If you look at the numbers, we’re about 5% to 10% behind last year,” he said, adding that an overall lack of confidence is the primary reason.
Whether confidence improves in the near future is likely a function of whether the news continues to improve, and whether it can actually convince people to believe what they see, said those we spoke with.
Nakosteen, for one, believes conditions will continue to improve.
“I think the next 12 months are going to be pretty good,” he told BusinessWest. “A lot of things, especially at the national level, but also at the state level, are getting better. Households are just in a much better position than they’ve been in for years to make healthy consumption decisions, and therefore employers will be making more job offers, buying more equipment, and so on. Over the next year, we’re going to see reasonable economic growth.”
Bottom Line
But what does ‘reasonable’ mean?
It probably doesn’t mean the kind of burst that traditionally accompanies the end of a recession, or the kind of oomph that economists expected and business owners are in many respects still waiting and hoping for.
As Mayer explained, that kind of jolt simply isn’t realistic a full five years after the recession was declared over.
This is the economy this region may have to deal with — like it or not.
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
Annual Show Will Put the Spotlight on Entrepreneurship
Organizers of the Western Mass. Business Expo, slated for Oct. 29 at the MassMutual Center, are finalizing elements of the show, which will certainly have an entrepreneurial flair to it.
Indeed, the highly successful pitch contest, which made its debut at the 2013 Expo, will be staged again this year. Organized by Valley Venture Mentors (VVM), the contest, as the name suggests, features entrepreneurs with developing ventures pitching their ideas to a panel of judges — with $3,000 in prize money on the line.
This year’s contest will likely feature fewer presenting ventures — perhaps five as opposed to the 10 last year — which should allow for more give and take between those presenting the pitches and those who will judge them, said VVM President Scott Foster, adding that this will likely produce what he called a “Shark Tank effect — only nicer.”
Meanwhile, this year’s slate of educational seminars will include a track on entrepreneurship. The roster is still being finalized, but it will feature some of the region’s rising stars offering insight into what it takes to succeed in business today.
Delcie Bean, founder and president of Paragus Strategic IT, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the country, will be among those presenting interactive programs designed to inform and inspire those in attendance.
“Through initiatives like VVM, this region is putting a great deal of emphasis on entrepreneurship and growing organically by spurring the creation and growth of new small businesses,” said BusinessWest Associate Publisher Kate Campiti. “For the 2014 show, Expo organizers wanted to add momentum to these efforts by showcasing new business ventures through the pitch contest and relaying success stories written by some of the region’s noted entrepreneurs.
“These are people who have taken risks, beaten the long odds on making it in today’s highly competitive global economy, and have much to share with Expo attendees,” she went on. “These will be compelling stories that will hopefully inspire others to reach high.”
As the entrepreneurship track comes together, so do other elements of the show, which is expected to draw more than 150 exhibitors and 2,500 attendees, said Campiti. The other seminar tracks are professional development and sales and marketing, and those programs are being finalized as well, she said, as are the Show Floor Theater presentations.
The Women’s Professional Chamber of Commerce has announced that Patricia Diaz Dennis, retired senior vice president and assistant general counsel for AT&T and commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission during the Reagan administration, has been confirmed as the luncheon speaker.
Dennis, a member of the board of directors at MassMutual, is a highly sought-after speaker, whose broad résumé also includes service on the National Labor Relations Board, a stint as assistant secretary of State for human rights and humanitarian affairs, a three-year term as chair of the Girl Scouts of America, and a lengthy stint on the Texas State University System Board of Regents.
At AT&T, from which she retired in 2008, she was responsible for corporate litigation, procurement, corporate real estate, environmental corporate compliance, IT, and trademark and copyright legal matters. Before joining AT&T in 1995, Dennis was special counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell for communications matters in the international law firm’s Washington, D.C. office. From 1989 to 1991, she was a partner and head of the communications section of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm.
One of the highlights of previous shows has been the day-ending Expo Social, said Campiti, adding that it has become one of the best networking opportunities of the year. This year’s social, to be sponsored by MGM Springfield and Northwestern Mutual, will be no exception.
Other sponsors include Presenting Sponsor Comcast Business; Silver Sponsors DIF Design, Health New England, and Johnson & Hill Staffing Services; and Education Sponsor the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.
For more information on the event, visit www.businesswest.com or www.wmbexpo.com. n
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]
Primary Concerns
Noble Hospital in Westfield recently held an open house to officially launch its new Noble Primary Care office at 57 Union St., a practice that hospital President Ronald Bryant says is a response to a shortage of primary-care services for residents of Westfield and the hill towns. Noble Primary Care is staffed by seven primary-care physicians known as Noble Medical Group. Taking part in the ribbon cutting were, back row, left to right, Dr. Stan Strzempko, vice president of Medical Affairs; Allison Gearing-Kalill, vice president of Community Development; state Sen. Don Humason; Judge John Greaney, trustee; Roger Butler, trustee; state Rep. John Velis; and front row, left to right, Kate Phelon, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce; Joe Mitchell, Westfield city advancement officer; Dr. Frederick Torio; Dr. Rulour Torio; Dr. Ann Cooper; Dr. Aleksandr Pugach; and Bryant.
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced the renaming of its mortgage- lending division to Berkshire Bank Home Lending. The line of business includes a home lending call center, operations, servicing, and a team of mortgage loan originators. This business line will transition Berkshire’s current mortgage lending affiliate, Greenpark Mortgage, into the Berkshire Bank Home Lending brand. Along with its new home-lending call center and loan-servicing operations, Berkshire Bank Home Lending includes more than 90 mortgage loan originators located in offices throughout New England and New York. These offices and teams enable Berkshire Bank Home Lending to have a significant market presence while providing portfolio lending with competitive rates and fees to consumers with hands-on service and fast decision-making. Included in the business unit roll-out was the launch of a new consumer lending web site, BerkshireBankHomeLending.com. The new web site features areas to get pre-approved for a mortgage, apply for a mortgage, and login to check on an application’s status. It also includes helpful information on topics including: mortgage application checklists; calculators; glossary of terms; and homeowners insurance. “Berkshire Bank Home Lending’s goal is to provide individualized home mortgage solutions because we know no two customers are alike,” said Kevin Inkley, senior vice president, Retail Lending. “With our network of local loan originators, competitive pricing, home lending call center and web site, we partner with our customers to keep them informed ensuring the highest-quality service and long-term satisfaction.”
CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101
Aug. 21: Member Workshop, 9-11 a.m., hosted by La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St. in Springfield. Sponsored by First American Insurance Agency. “You’re Social. Now What? Is It Working?” You’ve thought about what social networks to use for your business or nonprofit, and you’re ready to take the next step. Where do you go from there? This workshop will give you a closer look at the popular social-media channels — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+. We’ll show you the benefits of using each, how other organizations are marketing with them, and some dos and don’ts of each channel. You’ll also get tips on how to tell if your social media activity is working. Free to members.
GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414
• Aug. 14: Networking by Night Business Card Exchange, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Freedom Credit Union and Wireless Zone of Easthampton, 422 Main St., Easthampton. Sponsorship opportunities available for this event. Door prizes, hors d’ouevres, host beer and wine. Tickets: $5 for members, $15 for future members. RSVP requested at (413) 527-9414.
GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376
• Aug. 13: Networking Across the River, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted and sponsored by Brunelle’s Marina, 1 Alvord St., South Hadley. Join an evening of networking with the Greater Holyoke and South Hadley/Granby Chambers of Commerce as we cruise along the Connecticut River on the Lady Bea. Tickets are $20 for members. Seats are limited. To sign up, call the chamber office at (413) 534-3376 or register online at www.holyokechamber.com.
• Aug. 20: Chamber Summer Business Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Yankee Pedlar, 1866 Northampton St., Holyoke. Sponsored by Lyon & Fitzpatrick, LLC Tickets: $20 for members and advance reservations, and $30 for non-members and at the door. Price includes a hot buffet.
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880
• Aug. 18: Annual Golf Tournament, at the Ranch Golf Course, Southwick. Registration is at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at noon and a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Cost: $125 for golf and dinner. For more information or for tickets, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or e-mail [email protected].
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618
• Sept. 8: Open House, 4-7 p.m. The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce its new office at 16 North Elm St. in Westfield. Please join us for an open house.
EAST LONGMEADOW — FieldEddy Insurance announced that Maria Koutroubila has joined the firm as a personal lines account manager. She brings more than 10 years of insurance-related experience to the position, and is a member of the National Alliance, holding the CISR designation and working toward CISR Elite designation. Koutroubila will be responsible for educating and ensuring that clients have the proper insurance coverage. As part of the personal lines team, she will work to implement daily opoerations and ensure that that standard working procedures, key performance indicators, and other account metrics are achieved on a regular basis.
Hogan Technology Is in the Business of IT Solutions
Sean, left, and Andrew Hogan have been in business since 1986 and keep pace with innovative technology that helps their clients.
Sean and Andrew Hogan, who co-own Hogan Technology in Easthampton, have solved that problem. Their company’s motto is, “why call three companies when you can call one?”
In fact, they have flipped the way the typical repair model operates. Rather than waiting for a problem to occur, then responding to it, Hogan employees constantly monitor clients’ Internet-technology systems, which allows them to identify problems and resolve them before the client is even aware they exist.
“Technology is imperfect, and it is inevitable that things will go wrong,” Sean said. “If they didn’t, there would be no need for our company. But we understand that, if a business’ computer or phone system goes down, they are out of business until the problem is fixed, so our emphasis is on managed service. What makes us different from other companies is that we provide a comprehensive, bundled solution.”
That requires expertise in many areas. “There are a lot of parts and pieces to technological systems, and it can be very confusing,” said Sean. “So we become a company’s management team, which relieves a lot of duties for office managers or people assigned to the job.”
He added that this is especially important for small firms that do not have a full-time Internet-technology expert. “One person in the office usually gets assigned to support its IT system because that person enjoys working with computers. But the Internet is vast and has so many specialties, one person alone cannot have enough knowledge to fix every problem,” he told BusinessWest.
It can also be difficult for employees who don’t know the language used by computer experts to talk to a software representative, especially since so many companies run specialized software related to their industry.
But Hogan Technology has a bevy of experts who handle these issues.
“We monitor everything related to a company’s systems,” said Sean. “Our team receives an alert on potential outages, so we address them before they become a problem. By being proactive, we are partnering with our clients. And if we keep their business up and running, they are happy.”
He added that this approach saves time and money. “Our model has really evolved; the old way of doing things was to have a company call when something broke, then run out to fix it. But the hourly cost of doing that can be very expensive. A company could go several months with very small bills, then have a major failure. And since businesses can’t live without technology, they have to pay to fix the problem.”
To eliminate that issue, Hogan Technology charges a monthly fee, which helps clients avoid unexpected charges.
The company also has a full-time employee dedicated to customer support who spends her time calling clients to check how their systems are running. “She’s an advocate for them,” Sean said.
Another unusual service is free: lifetime employee training. “Whenever there is a turnover in staff or a new person is hired, we send in a trainer. The people who use our equipment should be our biggest fans,” said Andrew, noting that, if individuals find the training easy to understand, they become proponents of Hogan Technology, which can translate into word-of-mouth advertising.
“We implemented lifetime training because we heard so many customers complain about technology they had been using in the past,” he went on. “They told us they didn’t know how to use it or keep it up to date.”
Keeping Pace
Hogan Technology was founded in 1986 as Hogan Associates by John Hogan and his sons, Sean and Andrew.
The idea for the family business was born after John gave Sean an article to read about the ethernet, which was the newest technology at the time. He was in college, saw it as an opportunity to create a business dedicated to the professional installation of communications systems, and said the trio’s skills fit well with the vision.
At the time, John was retired after 35 years in the communications industry, and he and Sean were working part-time doing computer networking for a local firm, while Andrew was in sales.
“No one had ethernet networking, but everyone needed it, so we were able to get a lot of work,” Sean recalled, adding that, prior to that development, there was no industry standard for cables and wiring, so communication systems could not be linked.
The company quickly became profitable. “In the early years, we had no competition — we all wore tool belts and were laborers,” Sean said, recalling how personal computers replaced terminal servers and high-speed cables were required to support developing technology.
Since its humble beginnings, the company has kept pace with change and gone above and beyond for its clients. For example, years ago, it was not uncommon for Sean and Andrew to drive the company’s bucket truck several hours to fix a problem for a customer on a weekend.
“We take our business very seriously,” Sean told BusinessWest, reiterating that they realize it’s essential for businesses to stay operational at all times.
In time, the name Hogan Associates was changed to Hogan Communications, then changed again to Hogan Technology to reflect the work they were doing.
The company has won a number of awards, and today its ideal client is a business owner who allows Hogan to manage and support all of the company’s technology. The brothers are proud of the service they provide, and in 27 years, they have never had a year in which they lost money.
Part of this success is due to their dedication to maintaining seamless service, which can include overseeing technology needs that change due to a move or expansion. “We specialize in helping customers move. It’s a stressful time for them,” Sean said.
Before the physical move takes place, Andrew examines drawings of the new space and makes recommendations about the cabling the client will need to handle its audiovisual and conference needs. He also checks the wi-fi capability of the building and provides a design for security infrastructure.
“We look at everything that plays into their computer network and consult with them about what they need,” Sean said.
They also deal with their Internet service. “We sell and support every Internet provider, and because we are a master agent, we are able to customize solutions. After all that is complete, we coordinate the physical move of the technology and connect it so the customer has very little or no down time,” Sean said.
For example, the firm was hired to partner with Benchmark Carbide in Springfield when the company moved to a new location. “They needed someone who could handle all aspects of their technology,” Sean explained, adding that this included their phone system, computer networking, and computer installation.
Continued Support
The company currently has 21 employees and about 700 clients. In the past, it limited its customer base to businesses within a three-hour drive, but today Hogan has clients across the nation and handles their international phone systems.
“For example, we have a customer in Agawam with offices in Europe,” Sean explained. “We set up a voice-over-IP system that connects their phones through one network.”
The company’s resources are further enhanced by membership in the Technology Assurance Group, comprised of 105 communication companies in North America who work together. “We are like a brotherhood and provide support to each other,” said Sean.
Andrew agreed. “We attend owners meetings, which allow us to find out what is working well in the industry and what is not working. A lot of things come and go, and we approach every item we sell with the belief that there needs to be a return on investment for our clients.
“If we can prove the equipment we offer them will make their company more productive, efficient, and drive profits, we truly are partners with them,” he added, noting that the affiliation “also gives us buying power so we can compete with larger companies.”
Hogan Technology strives to develop long-term relationships and has clients who have been with them for 20 years. “We meet with every customer quarterly to see what their pain points are and help them forecast what they will need to keep active and productive,” Andrew said. “Then we develop a plan based on their budget and needs. They might not be able to get everything at once, but we come up with a solution and implement it so they can add things as their budget allows.”
Autumn Leshinski works full-time as a customer advocate and calls clients to make sure their systems are running smoothly.
They also hold frequent educational seminars to keep clients abreast of major changes, such as cloud-based voice services. “During the October 2011 snowstorm, many services were down, but the cloud was never down. And the beauty of having this service is that, if an event like that occurs, we can redirect all of a company’s phone lines to their cell phones or to a temporary office; it’s part of a disaster plan we set up for each client,” Sean said.
Their own back-up plan includes an office in South Carolina as well as a virtual server in the cloud.
Master Plan
Although Hogan Technology cannot control everything that happens to a client’s information-technology system, Sean said, it can resolve any problems related to it.
“In order for a company to stay up and running, it needs a partner in technology — someone who is committed to the relationship and has the resources to support them,” he said. And when that company is Hogan Technology, he said, assurances that all is well are sure to be met.
United Financial Bancorp Announces Q2 Dividend for Shareholders
GLASTONBURY, Conn. — United Financial Bancorp Inc., the holding company for United Bank, announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.10 per share to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 28 and payable on Aug. 4. This dividend equates to a 2.97% annualized yield based on the $13.45 average closing price of the company’s common stock in the second quarter of 2014. The company has now paid dividends for 33 consecutive quarters. “This dividend is reflective of our consistent capital-management strategy, and we are pleased to continue to be in a position to reward United shareholders with another consecutive 10-cent dividend on Aug. 4,” said William Crawford, CEO of United Financial Bancorp Inc. and United Bank.
Baystate Medical Center Recognized By U.S. News & World Report
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Baystate Medical Center among the nation’s top hospitals. In the 2014-15 U.S. News rankings, released Tuesday, Baystate is nationally ranked for its care in the areas of diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose, and throat; and gynecology. Baystate is considered high-performing by U.S. News in nine other areas of medical specialty: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. For the second year in a row, Baystate was named among the top three hospitals in Massachusetts. “I’m very proud of the hard work, compassion, and commitment of the caregivers who make such an honor possible,” said Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health and CEO of Baystate Medical Center. “Every day, they’re saving lives and changing lives for the better. I congratulate them on this wonderful recognition of the outstanding service they provide for our community, in support of our mission.” Keroack added that the honor is also a testament to the collaboration that exists among medical providers all over the region. “Without an outstanding, dedicated network of primary-care providers, without community physicians with whom we have strong and mutually supporting relationships, none of this is possible for our patients and our community.” For 2014-15, U.S. News evaluated hospitals in 16 adult specialties and ranked the top 50 in most of the specialties. Just 3% of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed for Best Hospitals 2014-15 earned national ranking in even one specialty. “Several years ago, we committed as an organization to achieve the very highest levels of quality in the care we provide,” said Dr. Evan Benjamin, senior vice president of Healthcare Quality for Baystate Health. “This is a point of pride and an affirmation of our efforts, and we’ll continue working hard to do even better for our patients and their families.” Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse-staffing levels, and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties. The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Using the same data, the magazine produced state and metro rankings. The rankings are available at health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook, available in August.
