Month: September 2014

ENFIELD, Conn. — Worldwide Partners Inc. (WPI) has added another partner to the world’s 8th-largest full-service ad-agency network and the world’s largest network of independent ad agencies, according to Al Moffatt, president and CEO of Worldwide Partners, headquartered in Denver.

Bauzá & Associates, headquartered in Enfield, Conn., specializes in multicultural marketing and is headed by principal and CEO Héctor Bauzá. Founded in 2003, the agency became an LLC in Massachusetts in 2005 and has a roster of clients including the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center of Dorchester, and the Connecticut Lottery.

“What makes us attractive to clients worldwide is that we’re comprised of innovative, progressive agencies across a full range of disciplines and industries,” Moffatt said. “We’re a collaborative, bottom-up network whereby the partner agencies own us rather than us owning them. We provide the resources and the global outreach to help our partners achieve greater profits and revenue while the partner agencies work together to build each other’s business and service clients locally, regionally, and internationally. We’re an efficient, international network that is built to succeed in today’s highly competitive and fragmented marketing environment. Each partner is hand-selected for its progressive and innovative approach. In short, we have the critical mass and skills of the agency conglomerates coupled with the flexibility of the independents. We’re very happy to have Bauzá & Associates join us.”

Added Bauzá, “we are honored to be a part of WPI’s tremendously successful network of independent agencies. As a smaller agency, the added muscle from WPI will help to increase the size of the projects Bauzá & Associates will compete for and expand this agency’s reach to regional, national, and global markets.”

Worldwide Partners Inc., which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2013, has more than 20 network-wide regional and international clients, including Wal-Mart Centroamerica, Caterpillar, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Group Santander, MINI, Western Digital, California Tourism, and Novartis. Partner firms have over 4,000 employees and have expertise in more than 90 product and service categories.

Holyoke Mall Announces ‘Magical Night of Giving’ Fund-raiser

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Mall at Ingleside will be hosting its ninth annual “Magical Night of Giving” event to help local nonprofit groups and schools raise funds for their organizations. The event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 6 to 9:30 p.m., with the orientation and ticket-distribution session held on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. The orientation will be held at Holyoke Mall’s Guest Services Center, located on the lower level in Sears Court.

The “Magical Night of Giving” is a simple and effective way for nonprofit groups and schools to raise funds for their organization. Holyoke Mall at Ingleside covers all overhead expenses, and the charity keeps 100% of each $5 admission ticket sold. The event works as follows:

• Holyoke Mall at Ingleside will print admission tickets. These tickets will be available for nonprofit groups to pick up and sell beginning Sept. 24.

• Prior to November’s event, organizations will sell these admission tickets for $5 each and keep all money earned from the sale of these tickets.

• For anyone not purchasing tickets in advance, admission tickets will also be sold the evening of the event at all mall entrances by some of the participating organizations.

• Participating Holyoke Mall at Ingleside retailers will offer special discounts that are exclusive to the “Magical Night of Giving.” The ticket is the only means to receive these special discounts between 6 and 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 23.

• Admission tickets sold also act as a raffle ticket. Prizes will be awarded, including a $1,000 Holyoke Mall gift card. The raffle drawing will begin at 8:30 p.m. the evening of the event.

• MIX 93.1 and KIX 100.9 will once again sponsor this year’s event. Santa and Dan Kane’s Rising Stars will be part of the festivities as well.

Said Holyoke Mall General Manager Bill Rogalski, “this event helps to raise approximately $50,000 each year between the various organizations involved. Holyoke Mall is providing the tools for the groups to hold their own fund-raiser. It’s a simple way for nonprofit groups and area schools to raise much-needed funding for their organizations.”

To reserve tickets for pickup on Sept. 24, contact Simone Enright at (413) 536-1441 or [email protected] by Friday, Sept. 19. Anyone unable to pick up tickets on Sept. 24 may make arrangements with Enright to pick them up at a later date. Call Holyoke Mall’s Marketing department at (413) 536-1441 with any questions.

CDH to Host Oct. 2 Lecture on Stroke Prevention, Treatment

NORTHAMPTON — Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. Stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings blood and oxygen to the brain gets blocked or ruptures. When this happens, brain cells don’t get the blood they need, and deprived of oxygen, nerve cells can stop working and die within minutes.

In “Stroke Prevention and Treatment,” a Cooley Dickinson/Massachusetts General Hospital lecture, stroke neurologist Dr. Scott Silverman will discuss ways to reduce the risk of stroke and how to recognize stroke warning signs. He will also discuss treatments for stroke. Community members are invited to attend the lecture on Thursday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Dakin Conference Room at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Silverman is an instructor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and an assistant in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he works on the stroke service. He received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Bowdoin College, and received his medical degree and completed his neurology residency at UMass Medical School. He then completed a fellowship in vascular and critical-care neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Silverman is board-certified in neurology, vascular neurology, and neurocritical care, and is director of Outpatient Stroke Services at Mass General. He has a strong interest in medical education and is currently the director of the Partners Vascular Neurology Fellowship. Silverman’s research and clinical interests are in ischemic stroke, specifically intracranial atherosclerotic disease and stroke in the young.

Also participating in the lecture will be Dr. Tor Krogius, an emergency department physician at Cooley Dickinson and medical director of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Stroke Program, as well as the telemedicine programs for stroke, neurology, and burn. He earned his medical degree at McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed his internship and residency training at Baystate Medical Center.

Maria Burke Named Associate Director of JERICHO

HOLYOKE — JERICHO, the Bureau for Exceptional Children & Adults, has announced the appointment of Maria Burke as associate director. JERICHO is well-known for its programs and services, begun by Fr. Robert Wagner and continued by Sr. Joan Magnani, emphasizing inclusion for all people with disabilities in Western Mass. over the past 44 years.

“I am delighted that Maria has been named associate director,” said Magnani. “Working with her allows us to move forward with new strategic-planning efforts focused on how we can best serve the families and individuals living with disabilities, as well as the professional agencies and staff who care for these people in Western Mass.”

Burke brings expertise in many areas of nonprofit management and a substantial fund-raising history in the region, as well as a strong personal focus on the needs and challenges facing many families and individuals living with disabilities.

In the coming years, JERICHO will expand services to parents and family members. It will provide assistance in understanding the services that are available throughout the region and the state, and help connect the private and public sectors, so that all are able to successfully navigate the many stages of life and achieve full integration. JERICHO will continue its mission of breaking down barriers for all. Religious services and education will remain a core provision, and the organization will always welcome people of all faiths and backgrounds.

“This is a very exciting time for JERICHO, having someone with Maria’s leadership qualities to guide JERICHO’s mission and who has vast experiential knowledge to assist all who we serve throughout the region,” said Michael Sullivan, JERICHO board president.

Added Burke, “I look forward to continuing this important work, as well as expanding our reach with new partnerships, training, and networking opportunities to serve the many families who face difficulties and challenges. It will be wonderful to include new people and provide services that make life at least a bit easier for all families and providers serving the disabled.”

SkinCatering Announces Launch of Men’s Skin-care Line

SPRINGFIELD — SkinCatering day spa announced that the company is launching a men’s skin-care line, SkinCatering for Men, to be kicked off with a launch party on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. The party will be held at the SkinCatering location in Tower Square in downtown Springfield.

“A number of our female customers reported products weren’t lasting as long as they had from past orders, but they didn’t know what changed,” said Leanne Sedlak, owner of SkinCatering. “Come to find out, spouses were using their products unbeknownst to the client. Realizing that our clientele is 50% men, and with the popularity of our women’s line, we decided it was now time to get these products created.”

The free “Scotch on the Rocks” themed launch party will be open to the public. Products will be available for purchase online at skincatering.com/shop or at SkinCatering day spa.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have a large community supporting us, watching our company expand,” said Sedlak. “People are so proud of us and feel like they have played an integral part in our growth. With this last product-line addition to our brand, we are now ready to fulfill complete wholesale orders to other spas, salons, and skin-care boutiques that want a product of our quality and affordability to retail to their own customers, nationwide.”

Paperboard Packaging Council Pitches In for Day of Caring

HOLYOKE — On Friday, Sept. 5, on behalf of the United Way of Pioneer Valley’s 21st annual Day of Caring, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) staff helped landscape and beautify the playground of the Peck-Lawrence Full Service Community School (K-3 campus) in Holyoke.

The United Way of Pioneer Valley, a charitable organization that mobilizes people and resources to strengthen local communities, established the Day of Caring to promote the spirit of volunteerism, increase awareness of local human-service organizations, and demonstrate that people can accomplish great things when they come together for the common good.

PPC staff realized this vision as they landscaped the playground of the Peck-Lawrence Full Service Community School, a unique institution that brings together school leaders, faculty, families, and community partner organizations in order to align resources toward academic success. To provide the children a better place to exercise and play, PPC staff cleared the playground’s chain-link fence of unsightly, overgrown vegetation that blocked sunlight to the playground.

“At PPC, we strive to serve our members as well as our local community, and I am pleased that we were able to lend a hand to the Peck-Lawrence School,” said Ben Markens, PPC president and vice chair of the board of directors of the United Way of Pioneer Valley.

Attorney Michael Gove Adds Ludlow Office

LUDLOW — Attorney Michael Gove, of Gove Law Office LLC in Northampton, recently announced that he has purchased a law practice in Ludlow and will open a second office in that community, his hometown. Gove’s 10-year-old practice concentrates on business and corporate law, real-estate transactions, and estate planning.

On Sept. 2, Gove assumed ownership of Thompson & Bell of Ludlow, the business formerly operated by the late James “Jason” Thompson and his associate, Gregory Bell. Bell and Gove will work together to cover the Ludlow and Northampton offices; in addition, the Ludlow office will also handle bankruptcy and personal-injury law.

Gove grew up in Ludlow and has been friends with Thompson’s son Sean since middle school. After the elder Thompson unexpectedly passed away in April, Gove was invited by the Thompson family to take over the practice.

Gove said he met Jason Thompson when Gove was a student at Ludlow High School in the late 1990s. Thompson was the town moderator at the time, and Gove was an elected representative to Ludlow Town Meeting. Gove later served as chair of the Ludlow Democratic Committee, represented Ludlow at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and chaired the Ludlow Cultural Council. “Jason Thompson was somebody I looked up to as a leader in our community,” he said. “I am honored to be taking over his practice.”

Gove earned his law degree from Boston College School of Law in 2004, after graduating cum laude from UMass Amherst in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Assoc., the Hampden County Bar Assoc., the Hampshire County Bar Assoc., the Connecticut Bar Assoc., the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, and the Northampton Assoc. of Young Professionals.

Gove has also served on many area nonprofit boards and presently serves as a corporator of the Horace Smith Fund, which grants scholarships for Hampden County residents pursuing a college or graduate education. He also volunteers for Cooley Dickinson Hospital and serves on the board of Best Buddies of Western Massachusetts. In 2012 and 2013, Gove was selected as a Massachusetts Rising Star by Super Lawyers, a designation earned by no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Massachusetts.

Bell is a 1983 graduate of Western New England College School of Law. He concentrates in residential and commercial real estate, consumer bankruptcy, probate administration, and personal-injury law.

For more information, visit www.govelawoffice.com or call Gove at (413) 570-3170 or Bell at (413) 583-5196.

Berkshire Bank Offers Free Online Security Software for Customers 

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced that it has partnered with IBM Security Trusteer Rapport to offer online banking fraud-protection software for bank customers at no charge.

Trusteer Rapport works with customers’ current antivirus software and web browsers to provide comprehensive protection for their online banking. The product was developed by the online security experts at Trusteer and currently protects more than 30 million users worldwide. It is optimized to stop financial malware and prevent financial fraud. It adds an extra layer of security to the antivirus software consumers are already using.

From the moment it is installed, IBM Security Trusteer Rapport protects devices and mitigates financial malware infections. Trusteer Rapport works by protecting internet connections and creating a tunnel for safe communication with Berkshire Bank’s online banking by detecting and blocking any attempt by malware to compromise a consumer’s browser and online banking session. By stopping malware’s behavior, Trusteer Rapport’s innovative technology protects consumers’ sensitive and private information.

For more information about IBM Security Trusteer Rapport, visit any Berkshire Bank branch or call (800) 773-5601.

Craig Johnsen Named Administrator at Loomis Lakeside

SPRINGFIELD — Loomis Communities announced the appointment of Craig Johnsen as administrator at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing. In this role, Johnsen is responsible for administering and overseeing the day-to-day operation of the retirement community in Springfield, as well as serving as a member of the Loomis Communities Senior Leadership Team.

Johnsen is a licensed nursing-home administrator with more than 30 years working with older adults. “I found the work I love to do at an early age,” he said.

Prior to joining Loomis Communities, he served as executive director of Eastview at Middlebury in Middlebury, Vt. He holds a bachelor’s degree in long-term-care administration and has completed a graduate fellowship in strategic and financial planning with Leading Age and Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management at Harvard University.

Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing offers independent-living cottages and apartments, assisted living, skilled nursing care, medical offices, and primary-care physician services, all under one roof. Loomis Communities the longest-serving provider of senior living in the Pioneer Valley, providing continuing care, specialized care, and health-wellness resources on four campuses: Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, Applewood in Amherst, Loomis House in Holyoke, and Loomis Village in South Hadley.

Dr. Thomas Cleary Sr. Named Volunteer Hero by Mass. Dental Society

EASTHAMPTON — Dr. Thomas Cleary Sr. was recently recognized as a William McKenna Volunteer Hero by the Mass. Dental Society (MDS), a statewide organization serving nearly 5,000 member dentists. He was acknowledged by his peers for substantial contributions to organized dentistry at both the state and local district levels.

Cleary is currently a member of the MDS Council on Dental Care and Benefits, and has served as a volunteer coordinator for the Yankee Dental Congress, New England’s largest dental meeting. Within the Valley District Dental Society, he has been chair of Dental Connections, an educational program for dental auxiliaries; co-chair of the education committee; and a member of the executive committee. He is also past president of the Hampshire Dental Society.

Cleary is a graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM). In addition to maintaining a dental practice in Easthampton, he is an assistant professor of operative and prosthetic dentistry at TUSDM. Several years ago, he was a member of a group of TUSDM faculty who went on a fact-finding trip to Cuba, and this summer he took part in a service mission to the Dominican Republic organized by students. He established his general dentistry practice in Easthampton in 1974. His son, Dr. Thomas M. Cleary Jr., joined him in 2008.

The Volunteer Hero award is given in memory of the late Dr. William McKenna, who was a driving force behind the development of the Yankee Dental Congress and considered by many to have been a model of volunteerism within the MDS.

State Unveils One-stop Web Portal for Municipal Grants

BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration has unveiled a new web portal for cities and towns to easily identify grant opportunities that could benefit their communities. The Municipal Grant Finder (mass.gov/municipalgrants) is a one-stop web shop for local officials and residents to learn about grant opportunities across state government, regardless of which state agency manages a grant program.

“Through the new Municipal Grant Finder, the Patrick administration is continuing its commitment to provide resources to help our municipal partners deliver core services to their communities,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor.

The web portal will highlight what resources exist and where to find them, as management of these grants and resources is decentralized among a multitude of state government agencies. The Municipal Grant Finder will help them navigate state government by succinctly profiling more than 60 funding and support opportunities for cities and towns. To use the Municipal Grant Finder, a local official simply selects the appropriate category and is presented with a list of available resources. The user is then connected to detailed information about the grant, the available funding, how to apply, and contact information.

Local officials no longer need to know which of the Commonwealth’s many state agencies manage a specific grant program. With a few clicks, the Municipal Grant Finder can help a local official identify training to enhance local public-safety responses to complex emergencies; resources to rehabilitate abandoned and vacant property in a community; funding to reduce the municipal solid waste and household hazardous waste in the general waste-disposal stream; a program to support residents transitioning from renting to purchasing a home for the first time; funding for renovations to a local library; financial support to mitigate the cost of adding a local transit station; and a grant to convert an old railway line to a scenic recreation trail.

Working together, the Patrick administration and the Commonwealth’s municipalities have already achieved real, meaningful savings and structural changes to keep costs down so municipalities can make the necessary investments in community services that keep them thriving. Municipal healthcare reform is providing significant and immediate savings to cities and towns, and 257 communities and school districts across Massachusetts have already collectively saved more than $247 million in health-insurance premiums over the past three years as a result of the landmark municipal healthcare reform law signed by Patrick in July 2011.

Including municipal healthcare reform, Patrick said, his administration has provided cities and towns with the tools to realize $3.78 billion in savings, revenue, and investments through new local-option taxes, increased capital investments, and pension reforms. Communities are also achieving savings through innovations achieved through the Community Innovation Challenge Grant and municipal performance-management programs.

Monson Savings Bank to Hold Mortgage Pre-qualification Event

WILBRAHAM — Monson Savings Bank is holding a complimentary pre-qualification night at which people from the community can get pre-qualified for a mortgage on the spot and see new home listings in their price range. The event is designed to help anyone who is thinking of purchasing a home to quickly and efficiently obtain a pre-qualification letter, see listings in their price range, and get information about new-home financing all at the same time.

The event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Monson Savings Bank’s Wilbraham branch at 100 Post Office Park. People who are interested are encouraged to RSVP and sign up for a time slot between 5 and 7 p.m. to meet with a mortgage originator. To register, contact Catherine Gola at (413) 267-4513 or [email protected].

In order to obtain a pre-qualification letter at this event, people must bring along their two most recent pay stubs that show year-to-date income, and two months of the most recent bank statements for all asset accounts not held at Monson Savings Bank, including retirement and investment accounts. These statements should include the bank’s name, the account holder’s name, and account number. In addition, salaried borrowers should bring copies of their W-2 forms for the last two years, while first-time homebuyers should bring their W-2 forms for the last three years and tax returns for the last three years. Self-employed individuals should bring their complete tax returns with all supporting schedules for the two most recent years, including corporate returns, if applicable.

“Getting pre-qualified for a mortgage is really the first step in looking for a new home,” said Steve Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “It helps people and their realtors know the price range of homes that they should be looking at to ensure they can secure a mortgage that fits their budget and ability to keep up with monthly payments. By telling people up front what information to bring, we are hoping that most people can walk out with a pre-qualification letter in hand.”

For people who do not qualify to get a pre-qualification letter, bank employees will be on hand to provide helpful information about buying a home and improving their credit scores. Bank employees can also refer people to the resources and financial coaching at the MassSaves Coalition, of which Monson Savings Bank is a strategic partner.

Catalyst for Change

Health Care Sections

Noble CEO Ronald Bryant Creates a Network of New Services

Ronald Bryant says his primary accomplishment has been to create an environment where people want to succeed and are put in a position to do so.

Ronald Bryant’s vision for Noble Hospital in Westfield has seemingly no limits.

Over the past three years, the president and chief operating officer has instituted impressive change that has brought new life to the independent medical facility and reinstated its standing as a top-notch center for healthcare in the Greater Westfield area.

Improvements include new physicians; a renovated patient wing; a new, comprehensive primary-care office building; a new, $450,000 Noble Walk-In Express Care service next door; a urology practice; new orthopedic offices; comprehensive breast-cancer services with a full-time breast surgeon; and a lot more, which have been realized through dedicated teamwork and outreach efforts, led by Bryant’s tireless effort.

“I have not done this alone. It has been accomplished with physicians, nurses, trustees, and administrative staff, which extends to dieticians who make sure patients have the right nutrition,” said Bryant. “My job is to create an environment where people want to succeed and are put in a position to be able to do so. And healthcare is moving so fast that you cannot stop. You have to get up every day and continually try to improve your organization.”

The hospital has 97 beds in a 257,000-square-foot building, which includes a telemetry unit, an intensive-care unit, a 20-bed psychiatric unit, a 15-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit, physician office space, and a medical/surgical unit which has been completely renovated with upgraded floors, walls, bathrooms, and nursing station, made possible due to money raised at the annual Noble Ball.

Noble’s new diagnostic imaging and X-ray service offers cutting-edge technology that helps physicians make definitive diagnoses.

The expansion of services has been accomplished within a relatively short period of time, but Bryant said it was carefully orchestrated.

“We were very prudent in making sure the investments we made promoted healthcare within the community,” he said. “Noble has always been consistent and conscientious about providing quality care, but in the past, we didn’t have enough physician services to keep patients in the community.”

That was caused in part by the critical shortage of primary-care physicians in Massachusetts as well as a national shortage, which made it difficult to attract these specialists to Noble.

But the hospital has been successful in recent recruitment efforts, and a primary-care office opened in July in a new building on 67 Union St. with seven primary-care doctors.

Noble’s efforts to attract physicians has also resulted in a partnership with the Urology Group of Western New England, P.C., which now has state-of-the-art exam rooms and office space within the hospital.

“This came about as part of our effort to build new relationships with physicians,” Bryant said. “They have their own waiting room and testing lab here now.”

There is also a new obstetrician-gynecological program, created through an affiliation with Baystate Medical Center. “Patients see their doctors here and deliver their babies at Baystate,” Bryant said, adding it is too costly for a hospital of Noble’s size to be able to do everything alone.

To that end, the third floor is now home to new cardiopulmonary offices and services, which also involves a liaison. “We partnered with the Baystate Regional Heart Attack Program and can get people out our door to their cardiology department faster than anyone else in the Valley and all of our competitors,” the CEO told BusinessWest.

Other improvements include a new, state-of-the-art, $2.6 million MRI center, which opened at the same time as the urology offices, along with a new van to transport patients. The service is free to senior citizens or anyone who needs it in the hospital’s primary service area.

“We’ve invested more than $6 million in the hospital over the last few years in equipment, services, and facility renovations,” Bryant said, adding that these investments have made a difference, and the hospital’s patient satisfaction scores for 2012-13, as measured by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are the highest in Pioneer Valley.

“This is especially significant because not only are we the smallest independent hospital in the state, we are also the lowest-cost hospital in Massachusetts,” he said.

Strong Commitment

Noble’s CEO worked as a public accountant for a government agency before he entered the healthcare field, where he has put his talents to work for the past 15 years.

He was born and raised in Worcester, graduated from Assumption College, and is currently working on a master’s degree in health administration. He serves on the board of the Mass. Hospital Assoc. and Noble’s Visiting Nurse Assoc., and chairs the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce.

The licensed, certified public accountant began his healthcare career at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Natick, where he served as account manager for the developmental disabilities and home health department. That stint led him to join Health Management Associates, a nonprofit organization that represents 70 community hospitals in the South and Southwest.

Time spent with that group inspired Bryant’s passion for community hospitals. “I went through their management program and realized early on that community hospitals were a good fit for my personality,” he said.

After working in South Carolina and Oklahoma, his family wanted to move closer to home, so when he was offered the position of chief financial officer at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, he accepted.

Five years later, he moved to Goodall Hospital in Maine, where he held the same position, and three years later, he landed at Noble.

Bryant served for nine months as Noble’s CFO before moving to the position of president and CEO in August 2011.

“Noble Hospital offered challenges which were a good fit for my skill set,” he noted. “I had the financial background needed to compete in today’s healthcare environment and knew there was a good chance that the hospital had a bright future.”

However, he conceded that, in spite of this belief, Noble was in difficult financial straits when he arrived.

“I knew that, without proper fiscal management, physician recruitment, and rebuilding service lines, the future was in jeopardy,” he said. “The organization was in a good geographic location and had strong demographics, but had poor fiscal management.”

However, his past experience soon came into play. “Both Martha’s Vineyard and Goodall were financially challenged, but I was very fortunate to have mentors at both hospitals who taught me a great deal,” he said.

His first step was to rebuild the hospital’s four-person revenue team.

“I brought in new talent and reorganized and revamped a new, talented team of 20 people,” Bryant said, noting that the top two factors that lead to the success or downfall of any community hospital are its physicians and management of its revenue.

“So, after we solidified our financial position, we turned our attention to growth,” he explained.

This was critical because a community survey of the hospital’s service lines revealed a shortage of physicians in the area. “It also showed that more than half of the population was not aware of the services Noble provided, so our task was clear.”

The hospital took steps to recruit doctors to work there full-time, and cultivated relationships with others willing to become affiliated with Noble.

The effort was very successful.

“Twenty-four months ago, we had one physician on staff, and now we have seven, and to complement this, we also rebuilt specialist services,” Bryant noted, adding that the hospital re-established relationships that had existed in the past and formed new ones with specialists on the other side of the river.

That included its partnership with the urology group as well as the creation of a comprehensive breast-cancer program.

“We also hired a gastroenterologist to partner with the existing one on staff, and revamped our radiology, anesthesiology, and pathology services, which helped build confidence among the physicians in our community. If a hospital doesn’t offer strong services, physicians won’t send their patients there,” Bryant explained.

The demand for general surgeons was also met, and Noble now has two surgeons who also work for another hospital. “It fills two needs — ours and their need for more volume,” the CEO said. “And a good percentage of our doctors are also affiliated with Baystate Medical Center.”

For example, Noble’s breast-cancer surgeon brings in plastic surgeons from Baystate Medical Center to do reconstructive surgery on their patients. “Our doctors and affiliated physicians work together, and these types of relationships help make us successful,” Bryant said.

Once the hospital had attracted enough physicians, the next step was to create a comprehensive marketing program that was specifically designed to reintroduce Noble to the community. It began two and a half years ago with a “Yes Noble” website, on which Noble employees wrote about how much they enjoyed working there. “We just won an award for it,” Bryant said.

From there, efforts were aimed at informing residents in the hospital’s geographic area of the services Noble offered, as well as introducing doctors in the Noble Health Network. It was accomplished via speaking engagements, radio and TV advertising, publications, and a healthcare symposium in Westfield that attracted 100 people who learned about what Noble was doing in the area of healthcare reform.

“We speak at all major community events and are very, very visible in the community,” Bryant said.

In addition, the hospital hosts a series of ongoing employee luncheons where physicians talk about what they do.

“There will always be competition, but from the time I came here, I believed that, if we did our job in a high-quality fashion, patients would not want to cross the river,” Bryant said. “I told myself from the beginning that I wanted each individual in our community to think of Noble first for their healthcare needs. I want our healthcare network to be the best place to give and receive safe, quality, compassionate care.”

Ongoing Mission

The vision that Bryant brought to the position continues to broaden. “Everything we’ve done has been geared toward keeping patients here, and the confidence we’ve built has allowed us to maintain our market,” he said. “But I’m always thinking about what’s next. It’s really important to adapt to change and be able to capitalize when opportunities arise.”

To facilitate that goal, he has surrounded himself with people who are talented and have great imagination.

“The financial pressures and challenges will not get easier, and it will continue to be a balancing act between costs we can support and our needs. But I want to go further and continue to grow our market,” he said. “Our work hasn’t stopped, and we will continue to develop our network so we will become the provider of choice in our area.”

Eight Organizational Tax Tips

Accounting and Tax Planning Sections

Making Your Tax Return a Year-round Commitment

By CHRIS MARINI

Tax season can often be a stressful time of year for just about everyone. The key to reducing this stress is keeping records organized and accessible.

Christopher Marini

This will make the preparation process run as smoothly as possible and create a system of backup for the numbers on a return, which is referred to as an audit trail. If your audit trail is accurate and easy to follow, it will help you potentially avoid additional taxes in the event that you are selected for an audit.

By following the eight tips below, your next tax return will be quicker and more accurate than ever before.

1. Keep All Documents Together

By ensuring that all tax-related documents are kept in the same spot, you can eliminate questions such as ‘where did I put that?’ or ‘did I ever receive that?’ This could potentially save hours spent searching a home or, even worse, weeks spent waiting for an additional copy to be mailed to you. Documents received throughout the year may include real-estate and excise-tax bills, medical bills, co-pays, and prescriptions. In addition to those documents, and your own records maintained throughout the year, here is a brief list of the most common forms people receive after year end:

• W2 (wages)
• 1099-MISC (independent contracting)
• 1099-DIV (dividend income)
• 1099-SSA (Social Security proceeds)
• 1098 (home mortgage taxes/interest)
• K1 (partnership income)
• 1099-INT (interest income)
• 1099-B (capital gains)
• 1099-R (retirement distributions)
• 1098-T (higher-education tuition)

2. Stay on Top of Withholdings

If you had a large amount of taxes due in past years, you may find yourself in a similar situation this year. There are several methods available to ensure you withhold enough taxes throughout the year to avoid the burden of having to make a single large payment and incurring any related penalties.

One potential way is to change how much you are withholding from your W2. Your company’s HR department can help you change this on your Form W4. Lower numbers mean more tax is withheld, so if you are claiming a 2 and owe taxes, consider changing to a 1 or 0. Another possible method to help withhold enough is by using estimated tax payments. Estimates are quarterly prepayments of taxes, which are often used by business owners or individuals with a high level of income. Also, remember to inform your tax preparer of any life changes, such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or death of a spouse, which can affect how much withholdings are needed.

3. Regularly Update Mileage Logs (Form 4562/2106)

If you own a small business or have unreimbursed mileage expenses from a job, you are able to claim this as a deduction on your return. You can claim this deduction using the standard mileage rate or actual expenses. The key to either method is having supporting documentation to help keep your audit trail accurate.

In order to calculate your deduction properly, it is important to keep detailed records of your mileage. One quick and easy strategy you might try is purchasing a small pocket notebook and keeping it in your center console. Whenever you use your vehicle for a business trip, simply set your odometer and jot down the miles (excluding commuting mileage).

If you forget to set the odometer, Google Maps is always a useful tool. At the end of the year, add up all the trips in the notebook to arrive at your total business mileage. Additionally, remember to keep your receipts for parking and tolls, and add them up at year end as well.

4. Summarize Higher-education Costs (Form 8863)

Each higher-education institution you or your child attends is required to issue a 1099-T; however, there is often additional information to consider that is not included on a 1099-T. This includes amounts paid for books, a well as scholarships and grants received that were not paid directly to the school.

Because it is important to capture all activity, consider making a summary sheet of all education costs and assistance received. Costs should include all amounts from the college bill in addition to textbooks. Remember to keep copies of all book receipts as backup documentation.

5. Keep Track of Fair Rental Days (Schedule E)

If you rent out a vacation home, it is necessary to know how many days it was rented at fair rental value. Your tax preparer will also need to know how many days the home was used by either yourself or any family member.

To do this, try keeping a miniature monthly calendar at home, exclusively for the purpose of keeping track of usage. For any day that it is used personally or by a family member, put a ‘P’on the day for ‘personal.’ For any day that it is rented to someone at fair rental value, put an ‘R’ on that day for ‘rented.’ At the end of the year, go through your calendar and determine the amount of days used personally and rented out.

6. Substantiate Business Revenue and Expenses

For small business owners who file a Schedule C, E, or F, it is important to keep detailed and supported records. Purchasing a computer program, such as QuickBooks, will help you keep better track of business data. To maintain a proper audit trail for your business, be sure to maintain supporting documentation for each transaction you enter into your software.

For the very small businesses, it may not be cost-effective to purchase financial software. If you fall into this category, try keeping a bin at your desk to store copies of each check for revenue and receipts for expenses. Then, on a monthly basis, use a blank spreadsheet or notebook to record all data from the bin. This will be much easier than trying to summarize all 12 months at once. Keep in mind that charge-card statements cannot be used to substantiate deductions; rather, detailed receipts are needed.

7. Keep a Log of Childcare Expenses (Form 2441)

Parents who both have earnings can deduct expenses paid to a childcare provider, which includes day cares, independent sitters, and summer camps. For each expense, keep records of which child the expense relates to. Additionally, you will need to request the EIN or SSN for each provider.

Keep a log of these expenses at home, and update it each time you write a childcare check. To create an even more effective audit trail, include copies of checks paid to each childcare provider or ask them to provide you with a statement of annual amounts paid. At year end, use the log to create a summary sheet, totaling by child and then provider.

8. Maintain Records of Charitable Contributions (Schedule A)

Make your donations with checks or online. The IRS will not allow a deduction for unsupported cash donations. Additionally, remember to take copies of each check or online payment as proof of each payee and amount. At the end of the year, create your summary sheet, breaking down the amounts paid to each organization, with the supporting copies attached behind as additional backup documentation. There are more stringent rules for larger donations, so be sure to consult your tax preparer.

Also, if any benefit is received as a direct result of the contribution, it must be subtracted from the contribution amount. For example, if you donated $1,000 to the Jimmy Fund and received two Red Sox tickets valued at $50 each, you could deduct only $900.

By following whichever of these eight tips apply to you, you will make your next tax return quicker and easier to prepare, and more accurate. Additionally, in the event you are ever audited, you can feel confident in the ability of your backup documentation to uphold the figures presented on your return.

So, this year, challenge yourself to get organized, and make your tax return a year-round commitment.

Chris Marini is an audit and accounting associate with the Holyoke-based public accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 322-3549; [email protected]

Widening the Horizon

Accounting and Tax Planning Sections

Whittlesey & Hadley Expands into the Western Mass. Market

Andrew (Drew) Andrews, managing partner of Whittlesey & Hadley

Tom Terry started with the Holyoke-based accounting firm Lester Halpern & Co. back in 1976.

And for as long as he can remember, there have been at least a few bowls filled with various types of candy at the reception desk to tempt visitors as they arrive, depart, or, quite often, both.

“Our clients love the candy, and our employees love it as well,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, when the Hartford-based firm Whittlesey & Hadley initiated discussions to acquire Lester Halpern more than a year ago, he and others at the company — not to mention some customers — made it clear that this was one tradition they wanted to see survive a change in the name over the door.

They needn’t have worried.

Indeed, Andrew (Drew) Andrews, managing partner at Whittlesey & Hadley (or W&H, as it’s sometimes called) has long kept candy at his desk and understands its importance to the broad mission of keeping clients happy.

“I just have to stay away from it myself,” he said with a laugh, adding quickly that continuation of the candy tradition is merely one of many ways the merger with Lester Halpern — the vehicle by which W&H has made its long-planned entry into the Western Mass. market — has been smooth and essentially seamless.

Andrews said there were many things about the Lester Halpern firm that appealed to W&H as it explored various merger opportunities in this market, including its size (nearly 20 accountants and roughly $4 million in annual revenues), location in Holyoke, and the mix and size of clients in the portfolio, which includes a number of tax-exempt entities and closely held businesses.

But it was Lester Halpern’s culture that was perhaps most important to this exercise, because it closely resembles the one at Whittlesey & Hadley, said Andrews, who described it in a number of ways, starting with the word ‘collaborative.’

“At some firms, people are very protective, taking the attitude, ‘that’s my client,’” he explained. “The better answer is, ‘that’s the firm’s client,’ and what’s best for the firm’s client is what we’re going to do. That’s our philosophy, and it’s the philosophy that existed here [at Lester Halpern], and that’s one of the reasons why this transition has gone so well.”

The similarity in corporate cultures extends to the way the two firms treat staff members, he went on, adding that, at the new/old company, the preferred term is ‘team members,’ not ‘employees,’ and the phraseology speaks volumes.

“We’re very concerned about everyone’s welfare, and we have very low turnover in our shop in Hartford,” he explained. “And they [Lester Halpern]seem to have the same culture of being very concerned for their team members’ needs.”

There have been a few minor challenges to overcome since the acquisition became official on Aug. 1 — the receptionist sitting just behind the candy dish has to get in the habit of saying the company’s new name when people call, and it’s taken some practice to pronounce and spell Whittlesey properly, said Terry, adding that, overall, there have been few, if any, problems.

“You read in articles that there are always going to be some bumps and there are always going to be some issues,” he said of the transition process. “But this has gone as smoothly as a transition possibly can.”

Tom Terry says the merger of Lester Halpern and Whittlesey & Hadley has been essentially seamless.

And this solid start has only heightened the level of confidence as W&H seeks to gain market share in the competitive Western Mass. region, said Andrews, adding that he believes the Holyoke-based operation can match the Hartford office’s recent track record of roughly 8% to 10% growth a year.

He says to key to meeting this goal is to stress the additional resources that this ‘new’ firm can bring to the table through its operation in Hartford, and then deliver a broader array of services.

“We’re just a new player in town with added resources,” he explained. “We can provide more depth and other things that a 100-person firm can provide that a 20-person firm just can’t provide. So there’s more potential to the existing clients and the potential clients.”

For this issue and its focus on accounting and tax planning, BusinessWest talked with Andrews and Terry about this merger and what the future could hold. They both said that, while there is, indeed, a new name in this market, this is essentially the same old firm, only one that can now better serve clients.

By All Accounts

Tracing the history of the firm he joined as a staff accountant in 1984, Andrews said it was started by Bill Whittlesey in Hartford as a solo practice in 1961. He later expanded with the hiring of Bob Hadley as a staff accountant; he would become a partner in 1965.

The firm has achieved steady growth over the past 55 years or so, reaching $16 million in annual revenues and more than 100 employees at the start of this year.

Andrews, who became a partner in 1996 and managing partner in 2008, noted that, while the vast majority of clients’ firms are based in Connecticut, W&H has done some business in Western Mass. over the years, and recently made it a strategic initiative to do considerably more in the 413 area code.

Indeed, the question eventually became how, not if, the company would expand into this market, he told BusinessWest, adding that, while there were a few options, only one of them made real sense.

“We thought this was an area we really wanted to expand into, because we see a lot of similarities in culture to Hartford in this area,” he noted. “But, as in Hartford, if you’re not in the marketplace — even though it only took me 25 minutes to drive here from my office in Hartford — you’re a foreigner; you really need to live and breathe in the marketplace. I was invited once to an event that one of the banks held at the Basketball of Hall of Fame; I went with one of my partners. Everyone seemed to know each other, but no one knew us, and we felt like outsiders.

“We explored the possibility of simply opening an office, hanging out a shingle here — putting someone there and seeing what happens,” he went on. “But we didn’t think that would make a lot of headway, so we started exploring whether there was a local firm that had similarities to us in terms of how we deliver client service, how we treat employees, and wanted to get in with a larger firm so they could offer more services to their existing client base.”

W&H did some research, relying heavily on team members who lived in this area for insight, and eventually started talking with Terry and others at Lester Halpern.

“And, of course, with accounting firms, it takes a lot longer than with regular businesses to pull something like this off,” Andrews told BusinessWest, adding that talks began in January 2013, were then set aside for tax season, picked up again later in the year, and completed several months ago. “That’s because accountants, in general, are conservative, and accountants, in general, are very individualistic and like to do things their way, even though we all tend to do things in a similar fashion; it’s all about getting to know each other.”

Both Andrews and Terry said a good amount of due diligence went into making sure the fit was right between the two firms, and this research ultimately concluded that it would be an effective match.

“They [Whittlesey & Hadley] did their homework, but we did ours, too, as far as finding a partner to team up with,” he explained. “We were pretty confident that we picked the right partner, and that’s turned out to be the case. Our cultures match perfectly, our philosophy in terms of how we work with our clients — they’re very similar.

“And our clients are very similar as well,” he went on. “We both have a similar focus, with a strong not-for-profit sector in our work, but also an equally strong for-profit sector as well.”

Numbers Game

As he talked with BusinessWest about his firm’s prospects in this market, Andrews acknowledged that Western Mass. is generally considered a low- or no-growth area.

Which means that, if W&H is going to reach that goal of 7% to 8% growth for the Holyoke office, it will have to take market share from existing firms. And he believes it has the assets and attributes needed to do that.

For starters, it has the base that Lester Halpern has built over the years, he said, as well as accountants who are well-known in the Western Mass. market and understand the needs of clients here.

“We’ve tried to figure out a way to get into different markets without merging with a firm already in a market, and we haven’t been able to figure that out real well,” Andrews explained. “So that’s why we’ve gone this merger route. And one of the keys to it is to listen to the people that are already here, because they’re successful here.

“Even through we’re not that far away from each other, this is a different marketplace,” he went on. “And what succeeds in Hartford may not succeed in Western Mass. So we’re learning from our partners here, and we’re trying to do what they’ve been successful at doing since 1959 and leverage that.”

But Whittlesey & Hadley also has the resources of a much larger firm thanks to the staff, and it’s expertise, in Hartford, he went on, adding that these resources could become a strong selling point.

“As we’ve grown, pretty much organically, and become a larger firm, we’ve found that we’re better able to attract different types of talent and have in-house resources that traditionally aren’t available in smaller firms because there aren’t as many people,” he explained. “For instance, I have experts in different areas, and if my client has a complicated tax issue that’s very unique, I might have someone who’s dealt with it and is an expert on it. When you have a larger firm, you have different talents and skill sets, and you can provide a more-in-depth package of services to your existing client base.”

Terry agreed, and told BusinessWest that, in just the first 20 days of operating under the W&H umbrella, there were instances where he called on that expertise Andrews mentioned, and to the benefit of clients.

“There have been three instances already where clients have had questions that I would not have been able to answer,” he explained. “But because of the very strong tax department that’s located down in Hartford, I’ve been able to use those resources — and we’re only three weeks into it.

“We’re really just getting started,” he went on, “and to have that resource is extremely helpful.”

One of the challenges ahead for W&H is to make the region more familiar with the company’s name, acronym, and operating culture, said Andrews, adding that the firm intends to be visible, with some aggressive marketing as well as involvement with many area business organizations and their events and programs.

Ultimately, though, word of mouth will carry the most weight, he said, adding that, if the company can provide the depth and quality of service that he believes it will, that will be the best way to get the word out and build market share.

The Bottom Line

On the day BusinessWest visited the W&H facility on Bobala Road, the company’s new signage was not yet in place — it will be arriving later this month.

And outwardly, there were few, if any, signs (literally or figuratively) that anything had changed. Indeed, there were three bowls at the reception desk containing everything from chocolate to jellied candy.

But some change has come to the business beyond a new name, said Andrews and Terry, adding that, mostly, there is new opportunity to make this operation a stronger force in the local accounting market. n

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

Cough Today, Get Paid Tomorrow

Business Management Sections

Mandatory Paid Sick Leave on the Horizon for Many Employers

By JOHN S. GANNON

This November promises to be an exciting — and important — time for the Commonwealth. The state will elect a new governor, a Massachusetts seat in the U.S. Senate is up for grabs, and a ballot question will ask voters whether they want to vote down a 2011 law allowing resort casinos to operate in the state. Given these hot ticket items, it’s easy to overlook other voting initiatives.

However, employers should pay particular attention to Question 4, the Massachusetts Paid Sick Days Initiative.

John Gannon

If approved by voters, the measure will require employers to provide certain employees with several sick days each year. Various federal and state laws already require unpaid job-protected leave, such as the Family Medical Leave Act, the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act, and the Small Necessities Leave Act. The difference with this new measure is that most employers would be required to pay employees for their time off.

History of Paid Sick Leave

Connecticut made history in 2011 when it became the first state in the country to require employers to provide paid sick leave. However, the law did not reach all employers or employees.

Employers with fewer than 50 employees were exempt from the law. In addition, paid leave was required to be provided only to non-exempt service workers. The law was predominantly focused on protecting low-wage workers in the service and retail industries. Since then, many cities have adopted similar measures. There are currently sick-leave laws on the books in San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

In Massachusetts, similar versions of paid-sick-leave laws were proposed in the Legislature, but none reached a final vote. This year, sick-leave supporters abandoned the legislative route in favor of a ballot strategy. They delivered enough signatures to the State House to get a question about paid sick leave on the 2014 ballot.

The Ballot Question

The law proposed on the statewide ballot would entitle employees in Massachusetts to earn and use up to 40 hours of sick time. The amount of time off, and whether it needs to be paid, varies depending on the size of the employer. Individuals working for smaller businesses with fewer than 11 employees would be able to earn and use up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time. Employers with 11 or more employees would have to provide these 40 hours of sick time as paid leave. Unlike Connecticut, the law generally applies to all employees regardless of job duties.

The law provides three scenarios where an employee could use earned sick time. Leave could be used (1) to care for a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition affecting the employee or the employee’s child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse; (2) to attend routine medical appointments of the employee or the employee’s child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse; or (3) to address the effects of domestic violence on the employee or the employee’s dependent child. Employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, and would begin accruing those hours on the date of hire or on July 1, 2015, whichever is later. Employees could begin to use earned sick time after working 90 days.

Carryover of unused sick time to the next calendar year would be permitted, but the employee could not use more than 40 hours in a calendar year. Unlike unused vacation, employers would not have to pay employees for unused sick time at the end of their employment.

Do They Have to Prove It?

One issue that concerns employers is whether employees have to back up their need for time off. The new law states that employers can require certification of the need for sick time if an employee uses more than 24 consecutive hours of sick leave.

Any “reasonable documentation” signed by a healthcare provider must be accepted as sufficient certification of the need for leave, and employers are prohibited from demanding that the documentation explain the nature of the illness. However, it is unclear whether employers can require medical documentation for shorter absences pursuant to company policy.

Finally, when employees are aware in advance of the need for earned sick time, they must make a good-faith effort to notify the employer beforehand. The law does not suggest how much advance notice should be provided.

Bottom Line

Many employers, particularly small businesses, oppose the sick-time mandate. Some are already operating on thin margins, and paid-leave requirements would undoubtedly add to growing labor expenses. Those in favor of the law contend that employees should not have to choose between coming to work sick and getting paid.

Recently, the debate has transcended employer groups. Last week Democrat Martha Coakley criticized gubernatorial rival Republican Charlie Baker for his opposition to the ballot question.

If you need assistance revising or adopting your employee-leave policies, contact experienced labor and employment counsel.

John S. Gannon is an associate with Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., and practices in the firm’s Springfield office. Since joining the firm in 2011, he has defended employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful-termination claims, as well as actions arising under the Family Medical Leave Act and wage-and-hour laws. He also has experience with lawsuits seeking to enforce restrictive covenants and protect trade secrets; (413) 737-4753; [email protected]

Bring Your Own Device

Business Management Sections

This Growing Trend Can Make Employers Tipsy

By GREG PELLERIN
An airplane pilot wants to bring his own propeller to work. A fireman insists on bringing his hose from home. A student says, “to heck with the textbook the teacher wants me to read; I’ll find one I like better.”

These scenarios might appear to be somewhat preposterous, but what if the pilot, fireman, and student insist that their ‘stuff’ will allow them to work better, faster, and more effectively? What’s an airline executive, fire chief, or teacher to say in response?

Greg Pellerin

BYOD, short for ‘bring your own device,’ is the latest headache facing IT departments across the country and around the world. In increasing numbers, employees are insisting on bringing their laptop computers, tablets, and cell phones to work with them — security and compliance be damned. BYOD has employers scrambling to balance worker satisfaction, productivity, and the benefits of not having to pay for all this stuff, with the potential for sensitive data breaches, violations of privacy laws, and the need to have IT people well-versed in supporting the variety of end-user devices now being brought into the workplace.

BYOD even has its own Wikipedia page. “BYOD is making significant inroads in the business world, with about 75% of employees in high-growth markets such as Brazil and Russia and 44% in developed markets already using their own technology at work,” it reads. “In most cases, businesses simply can’t block the trend. Companies like Workspot believe that BYOD may help employees be more productive. Others say it increases employee morale and convenience by using their own devices and makes the company look like a flexible and attractive employer. Many feel that BYOD can even be a means to attract new hires, pointing to a survey that indicates 44% of job seekers view an organization more positively if it supports their device.”

One of the biggest challenges for BYOD is in the healthcare industry. The electronic health record (EHR) mandate set by the federal government has doctors and nurses expecting instant access to information. Oftentimes, that means using their own cell phones, laptops, or tablets, which comes with the risk of exposing sensitive data, in violation of HIPAA regulations.

According to Anders Lofgren, writing for Health Management Technology, “banning devices outright isn’t an option, as about 70% of IT specialists and physicians already use mobile devices to access electronic health records.” Lofgren suggests implementing a comprehensive BYOD policy as soon as possible. Here are some suggestions on what to include.

• Start by Defining BYOD. Mobile phones may be permitted, but iPhones, Android devices, and, heaven forbid, Blackberrys require different security protocols.

• Implement MDM. That stands for mobile device management, and basically means registering each and every device with your IT department. It’ll be up to IT to set security policies and determine how data will be accessed, stored, and used. They’ll also decide what apps will be allowed or banned, a potential major hurdle for any BYOD policy. MDM will also mean new, complex passwords, something employees generally dislike with a passion.

• Acceptable Use. Most companies have rules about corporate-issued mobile devices governing what an employee can and cannot do. That policy needs to be reassessed with BYOD, since personal devices can be used to access potentially offensive material using the company’s network connection. Do I hear First Amendment lawsuit?

• Termination. What happens when an employee leaves the company? You can’t take back his or her phone, but you must be able to remove e-mail access and other proprietary applications. When will this process occur, and how will it be enforced?

Embracing BYOD may be a necessity in keeping a 21st-century employee happy and productive, but, like BYOB, liability questions can arise if an accident occurs on the way home. 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 U.S.; (413) 268-1605; [email protected]

Shedding Light

Business Management Sections

Alan Robinson’s Second Book on Ideas Shows Organizations How to Get ‘There’

Alan Robinson says “The Idea-Driven Organization” is designed to be a road map for companies looking to glean ideas from frontline employees.

When asked what prompted his second book on the broad subject of ideas in the workplace and how to generate them, Alan Robinson said there was something rather obvious missing from the first one, called Ideas Are Free.

Only, it wasn’t obvious to Robinson and co-author Dean Schroeder at the time.

“When we wrote Ideas Are Free, we made the same mistake a lot of writers make,” said Robinson, a professor at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. “We went out and we looked at organizations — companies, nonprofits, and government agencies — that were doing the best in the world at this; wherever we found these systems, we went and studied them, and we said, ‘this is how they work; here’s what they look like.’

“Then the book came out, and it went all over the world, and soon we were starting to get inquiries,” he went on, noting that it became a bestseller on Amazon. “People were saying, ‘this is great … but how do we do it?’ It took us maybe a couple of years to realize that it is an entirely different problem to show what it’s like to live in this environment and then to show how to get there from being an average company.”

So, The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas was conceived to show how.

Released a few months ago, it provides what Robinson called a road map that companies can follow in their efforts to replicate some of the organizations on the leading edge of what some would call a movement.

Elaborating, he said Ideas Are Free was a comprehensive look at best practices. The sequel, if one can call it that, is all about the journeys that bring companies to that point.

And in the course of chronicling dozens of such journeys, Robinson and Schroeder included lessons that could be taken from three local organizations — Big Y Foods, Health New England, and Springfield Technical Community College, which is, in Robinson’s estimation, one of the few institutions of higher education, if not the only one, that has enjoyed any real success in this realm (more on that later).

Those organizations, like the others cited in the book, have fully grasped what too many companies and their managers still haven’t, said Robinson, and that would be the simple math he calls the ‘80-20 rule,’ meaning that 80% of the overall improvement comes from frontline ideas, and only 20% comes from management-driven initiatives.

“This is the big gorilla in the room, and most organizations just leave it on the table,” he said. “Globalization means that companies have a lot more competition, whether they know it or not, and the Internet means people can find those competitors much more easily and compare. So the pressure on you to perform and to innovate and to get better is higher than it ever was — and, yet, most organizations have very weak cycles of continuous improvement, if they have any at all.”

For this issue and its focus on business management, BusinessWest talked with Robinson about his new book and what it offers to readers, but also about the contributions made by the three area organizations to this so-called road map, and why the author considers them some of the clear leaders in what would have to be called the ideas movement.

The Write Stuff

As he talked about Ideas Are Free, which was released roughly a decade ago, Robinson described it as a labor of love, a work, years in the making, that chronicled what leading-edge companies around the world were doing to generate ideas, review them, and, when appropriate, implement them.

But, as he said, this was a look at best practices.

“There are barriers that organizations have to remove to make their systems work — you don’t just collect ideas; you also fix the policies and the systems, the resource issues, and all the stuff that blocks ideas,” he told BusinessWest. “The process is only 20% of this issue; these obstacles to ideas are something you have to address. But when we were going in and looking at the best in the world, you don’t see those barriers, because they’d already been removed.”

Thus, The Idea-Driven Organization takes the reader back to the barrier-removal process, he went on, and to specific cases, such as one at Big Y that has been oft-cited by Robinson in his many talks on this subject, and has become known simply as the ‘eco bag idea.’

Elaborating, he said a checkout clerk at one of the chain’s stores noted that, often, after he recited the question ‘paper or plastic?’ an embarrassed customer would say that he or she left their eco bags in the car. Therefore, he suggested that signs be put in the parking lot reminding people to remember their eco-bags — a common-sense recommendation that has since been copied by many competitors.

But this sound idea didn’t get put in place for a while, because of some miscommunication and a lack of clarity concerning who was responsible for escalating ideas.

“The store manager was new, and he thought, ‘I don’t have the authority to do this,’” said Robinson, paraphrasing a section from the book called “How Effective Idea Processes Work.” “The idea goes up to the regional manager, who says, ‘it’s the store manager’s authority,’ and doesn’t take any action because he assumes he’s just being informed.”

Fortunately, the company had a policy in place whereby ideas such as this one were red flagged if they were not implemented within a certain period, Robinson went on, adding that, in the course of investigating what went wrong, company executives, including CEO Donald D’Amour, realized that store managers and other executives weren’t being trained properly in what their responsibilities were in such cases.

There are hundreds of other examples of effective obstacle removal in the book, said Robinson, adding that it was designed to help others possibly avoid such barriers to progress.

Overall, the book was undertaken to stress the importance of encouraging, gathering, weighing, and implementing frontline ideas — those that originate with individuals who work in the trenches rather than the corner office — and then provide that road map for putting a system in place.

As for the first part of that equation, the authors sum up neatly why many managers are often blind to frontline ideas — and why, if they want to take their companies forward, they can’t be.

“Consider the constant reminders of their superiority that managers are bombarded with in the course of their daily work,” they write. “They wear the suits, they have the private offices, they are the ones chosen for promotion, they are more highly educated and paid significantly more than their subordinates, and everyone defers to them. They are the ones in charge. With all of these signals continually reminding them that they are superior to their employees, it is easy for managers to come to believe that they actually are.”

Robinson told BusinessWest that, among other things, leadership at the three local organizations he cites in The Idea-Driven Organization don’t have that problem, and that’s a big reason why they’ve been so successful.

“One of the messages of our book is that you need to be humble enough to realize that the people who work for you know a lot more than you do, and your job as manager is not to tell them what to do and be the smartest person in the room,” he explained. “Your job is to tap that know-how, and these three companies have done that very well.”

Chapter and Verse

Overall, more than 100 businesses and organizations were cited for their success in The Idea-Driven Organization, and HNE, Big Y, and STCC, all of which have worked extensively with Robinson on their systems, receive prominent mention.

While each was highlighted for different types of obstacle-clearing and pace-setting work, Robinson summed up their contributions to the book — and the ideas movement in general — by telling BusinessWest that each organization highlights the importance of getting a high level of involvement from top management in the creation of an ideas system, implementation, and problem solving.

He started with high praise for STCC and especially its president, Ira Rubenzahl.

“I have my thumb pretty much on what’s going on in this business, and this is the only institution of higher education in the United States that’s doing this,” he said of the 47-year-old college. “They’re the only ones who are actually going out to their frontline people — the registrars, the librarians, and others — and soliciting ideas.

“President Rubenzahl is in higher education, he’s the only one doing this, and higher ed could really benefit from this,” he went on. “Of all the leaders I’ve worked with over the years, he’s put more of his personal self into this than anyone I’ve seen. We did lots of training sessions at STCC, we had lots of meetings, and he sat through every one of them. He really sent a message with that; if you ask him any details about the system, he knows them cold because he’s really engaged in it, and there’s a lesson there for other organizations.”

At Big Y, D’Amour has also taken a leadership role in the ideas process, said Robinson, adding that perhaps his most notable contribution to the process was getting senior management involved early on — especially during a pilot phase involving five of the company’s stores.

“He determined that the executive team would meet every two weeks and review every idea that came up,” Robinson recalled. “The senior team at this 5,000-person company was going to look at every single idea; what that showed them was what kind of things to expect, and the senior management team said, ‘wow, this is really cool. This can really help; we need more of this.’

“The other thing they saw was how these ideas were getting hung up,” he went on, returning to the eco bag. “They said, ‘we have this idea, and it’s a great idea; why isn’t it being implemented?’”

In HNE’s case, Robinson praised now-retired President and CEO Peter Straley for having the foresight to understand years ago that the healthcare industry was heading into uncharted waters, and that his company would have to be imaginative — and nimble — to handle whatever was coming down the road.

“He said, ‘we’re facing Obamacare, we’re also looking at big changes in Medicaid, and no one knows how this is all going to shake out, and the best way to prepare my company is to make it great at improving, great at adapting, and very flexible,’” noted Robinson. “[Straley] knew his company was facing massive change and needed to get better at handling change. That was his rationale, and it was a brilliant piece of leadership.”

The authors praised Straley for his ability to put together a seven-member team to design and oversee an ideas system — one that included the IT director, general counsel, a member of the executive leadership team, several middle managers, and a frontline employee known for proposing improvement ideas — and then provide it with the proper training and the time needed to do its job properly.

“Once the design team is assembled, it must be provided with a thorough education in idea management. Its members will need to have a strong understanding of what high-performing idea processes look like, how they work, and how to address the challenges they will face in creating one,” the authors write. “The initial training can involve classes taught by experts, reading relevant books, and perhaps visits to idea-driven organizations. For the HNE team, the process began with a day of training in idea systems, and then reading and studying two books on managing ideas.

“Once the team began to apply its new knowledge, it began to learn by doing, starting with the assessment of HNE from an ideas perspective,” the authors continue. “As the team members interviewed frontline employees, supervisors, and middle and upper managers, they discovered impediments to the flow of ideas that needed to be addressed. This action learning continued as the team designed their system and rolled it out through their company. In the end, the members of the design team developed considerable expertise in the management of ideas, and HNE went on to successfully implement a high-performing idea system.”

Not the End

Robinson told BusinessWest that he’s already hard at work gathering material for the next book on ideas.

He didn’t say what the specific subject matter would be or when it would be ready to write, but he did note that the ideas movement is still in its relative infancy, and that the process of learning — and teaching others how to do this — is, like the process of soliciting ideas itself, ongoing.

And it seems likely that these Western Mass. companies, and perhaps others, can and will be part of that teaching process.

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

Opinion

Opinion

Electricity Grid Bending, and Might Break

By MARC BROWN
For the past two years, New England has seen its energy rates rise from $.036 per kWh in 2012 to $.056 per kWh in 2013 — more than a 50% increase. New England ratepayers paid an additional $3 billion for the energy we consumed last winter, and as a result of capacity shortages in the most recent auction, we will be doling out an additional $1.8 billion in payments to generators just to be available.

The regional organization which oversees our energy grid, ISO New England, has repeatedly warned us of our overreliance on natural gas for electricity generation, which currently accounts for more than half of our capacity. Add to that 8,000 megawatts of expected-to-retire generation over the next decade, and New England is looking at a real future capacity shortfall — a gap that all of the energy efficiency, conservation, and demand response in the world won’t be able to close.

Rightfully, ISO’s warnings have led to panic among the region’s legislators and bureaucrats — ironic, considering that they and their predecessors supported, promoted, and enacted policies that have led us to our current situation — as well as high prices and dwindling base-load capacity. Policies like renewable portfolio standards, the renewable greenhouse-gas initiative, net metering, and others have favored expensive, intermittent renewable power at the expense of more affordable and reliable base-load options.

We are going to need new base-load generation to power our homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools. Unfortunately, the way the energy markets are designed offer little incentive for new investment. Capacity markets are too shallow (three years) and are subject to price caps that are in place to protect ratepayers, but in the long run may do more harm than good. Extending capacity to five, six, seven, or more years might be enough incentive to bring new capacity into the region. It may also provide some financial security to natural-gas electricity generators, allowing them to make longer-term fuel commitments, which in turn should spur private investment in new natural-gas pipelines. Ratepayers could ultimately benefit from a market that trades higher capacity payments for lower energy payments.

New Hampshire’s Northern Pass (1,200 MW) and the Footprint natural-gas plant in Salem (700 MW) are two projects that could bring much-needed base-load power to New England, but both have been met with opposition. Footprint, whose future is in question, has been opposed by environmental groups like the Conservation Law Foundation because it is a fossil-fuel generator, despite the fact that it emits half of the CO2 and none of the SOX of the plant that it would replace. Northern Pass has been opposed by myriad environmental groups, as well as the New England Power Generators Assoc. (NEPGA), a trade organization representing the owners of more than 100 electric power plants in New England who control more than 80% of New England’s generating capacity.

NEPGA’s responsibility is to advocate for its membership, many of whom have benefited from the high prices that have hit ratepayers the past two winters. ISO’s day-ahead electricity auction is a “clearing auction,” which means that all generators who clear the market receive the marginal (or highest) cleared rate. For example, if a 1,000-MW generator bids into the market at $20 per megawatt hour to cover its cost of generation and the market clears at $50 per MWh, the generator will make $30 per MWh in profit, or $720,000 for that day. During a cold week this past January when the average day-ahead price exceeded $262 per MWh, a 1000-MW generator would have received more than $44 million in energy payments alone.

New Englanders are looking for relief from high energy costs, regulators are looking to ensure reliability, and, despite their poor track record, policy makers are looking to address our long-term energy needs. Sooner, rather than later, New England is going to need more base-load electricity to replace retirements.

The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting another bitterly cold winter for New Englanders. Vermont Yankee and its 600 MW (600,000 homes) will be powering down for good at the end of December. Run to your local hardware store and get your generator now, because, if January 2015 is as frigid as January 2014, rolling blackouts might be in our future — and while not all of us will be surprised, some of us will have a lot of explaining to do.

Marc Brown is the executive director of the New England Ratepayers Assoc., the nonprofit dedicated to protecting ratepayers in New England.

Freedom Credit Union Unveils New Logo, Website, Social Media

SPRINGFIELD — Freedom Credit Union recently unveiled its updated look with a new logo and a redesigned website. At the same time, the credit union launched its presence on social media with new Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

“This rebrand is an effort for us to freshen up our image and present a more contemporary look and design across all parts of the credit union, from our website and in-branch messaging to our advertising and promotional materials,” said Barry Crosby, president and CEO.

The new logo incorporates the outline of a bell, which represents the credit union’s founding as the Western Massachusetts Telephone Workers Credit Union in 1922. The new website features a more modern design with enhanced navigation and organization. Most of the information is organized within four areas — personal banking, business banking, member tools, and ‘about us’ — and the new rates page is arranged in tabs so that all credit-union rates can be accessed on one page.

“Our new website also makes it very convenient for our members to apply for a mortgage or consumer loan online,” said Jeffrey Smith, Freedom’s vice president and chief lending officer. “Members can even get pre-qualified for a mortgage on our website in just a few minutes.” Members can apply for any type of consumer loan online — mortgages, home-equity loans, auto loans, personal loans, home-improvement loans, education loans, and more.

On social media, Freedom has attracted hundreds of ‘likes’ on its Facebook page and numerous followers on its LinkedIn page. To access Freedom’s social-media sites, go to www.freedom.coop and click on the logos at the top of the page.

Membership at Freedom is available to include anyone who lives, works, or attends a college or university in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, or Berkshire county. The organization boasts nine branches throughout the Pioneer Valley in Ludlow, Chicopee, Feeding Hills, Sixteen Acres, Springfield, Easthampton, Northampton, Greenfield, and Turners Falls. A tenth branch is slated to open in September at the Roger L. Putnam Technical Academy in Springfield. Freedom offers a complete range of services, including online banking, savings and checking accounts, personal loans, mortgages, business accounts, business loans, and financial services.

Women’s Professional Chamber Names Carol Campbell Woman of Year

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Professional Women’s Chamber, a division of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, recently honored Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors, as its 2014 Woman of the Year.

The annual Woman of the Year Banquet was held at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee. The award is presented to a woman in the Greater Springfield area who exemplifies outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment, and service to the community.

The Professional Women’s Chamber promotes the status of women professionals, working to empower career-oriented women through participation in leadership, education, and networking opportunities, and striving to strengthen the positive impact of women in the business community and on the economy. For more information, visit www.professionalwomenschamber.com.

Community Spotlight: West Springfield

Community Spotlight Features

West Springfield Takes Active Approach to Growth

Mayor Edward Sullivan says the quality of life in West Springfield helps attract new businesses to the town.

Mayor Edward Sullivan says the city of West Springfield has changed its tactics toward economic development, and is moving forward “like a battleship,” which is a significant development.

“In the past, we moved like an aircraft carrier,” he said, meaning more deliberately. “But we are no longer sitting back on our heels. Instead, we have taken a proactive approach and are moving from a passive role to an active role. We’re doing a better job of marketing through our website and collaborations with regional agencies and commercial brokers. Nothing happens overnight, but we’ve laid the groundwork and put a strategic plan in place.”

To that end, Tara Gehring has been hired as the town’s first economic-development coordinator and assistant planner. She grew up in West Springfield, completed an internship in town, has a master’s degree in regional planning, and is part of a new team Sullivan created that meets with him weekly to brainstorm ideas to promote economic development. Members include Mark Noonan, the town’s conservation officer and assistant planner, and Douglas Mattoon, director of planning and development.

“We call ourselves the ‘crossroads of New England,’” said Sullivan. “And we have a lot to offer, including access to Interstate 91, Route 90, and Route 5, which meet in West Springfield, along with the CSX rail yard, which is the largest rail yard in Southern New England. And we believe that new investments by business owners will add to the quality of life.”

However, the mayor told BusinessWest the town is also investing in itself. He pointed to its new, $107 million high school, which opened in February; a $16.1 million library reconstruction and renovation project that is underway; and recent infrastructure improvements. He said they are all important because when communities are rated, these things, along with public safety, recreation, and access to highways, are taken into account.

Sullivan’s team meetings have resulted in marketing initiatives that include a redesign of the town’s website, which now contains links to commercial banks and business opportunities. “If someone is looking for commercial property, they can visit the website instead of having to look on their own. In the past, the town did not have a listing of available commercial sites,” Gehring said.

New guidebooks have also been created that are available online or at Town Hall. The first is titled “Business and Residents’ Guide to Permits and Licensing,” and lists the town’s departments and the permits they handle. There is also a more comprehensive version called the “West Springfield Permitting Guidebook.” It is more detailed and includes the names and contact information of the employees in each town department, as well as office hours and other pertinent information.

In addition, monthly open houses will begin Sept. 9. They will be held on the second Tuesday of each month from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. for people hoping to open a new business or expand an existing one. The sessions will be attended by the heads of every department involved in the permitting process and will give people the opportunity to discuss their projects in a group setting.

“We wanted to remove any hoops or hurdles that businesses face, so we’re trying to streamline the process,” said the mayor. “It’s all part of our new, proactive approach.”

Mattoon noted that people who attend the meetings will have instant access to critical information, such as zoning laws and parking regulations. “In the past, there was no way to get representatives from every department to discuss a project. People had to go to each individual department, and in some cases, they were not aware of what was going on in other departments.”

Noonan added that these sessions will allow town officials to work more cohesively. “We want to change the way we operate as a municipality, and these meetings will provide us with business owners’ concerns so we can address them in a faster and more efficient manner.”

Sullivan concurred. “Time is money, and people would rather get a quick ‘no’ than a six-month ‘yes,’” he said.

Dedicated Measures

This summer, a team of experts began the preliminary work needed to create a new use for the former Southwick Paper Co. mill site at 150 Front St.

“We hope to revitalize the property and have it serve as an economic-development catalyst; it’s situated on the Westfield River and has an old canal on it,” Sullivan said, noting that Fibermark’s world headquarters are located in a separate building on the property.

From left, Mark Noonan, Tara Gehring, and Douglas Mattoon meet with Mayor Edward Sullivan every week to brainstorm ideas to promote economic development.

The project began about three months ago when Gehring requested help from John Mullin in assessing the site. An economic-development expert at UMass Amherst, he complied by assigning three graduate students to conduct a complete inventory of the property, including zoning and whether easements will be needed to move forward.

A public forum was held on Aug. 14 by the UMass researchers to gain input from neighbors and interested parties on what they would like to see built on the multi-level site, which includes several buildings.

“The district has vast potential because access to the river has not been taken advantage of, and there was discussion about using the site for small light manufacturing, condominiums, retail shops, and even a micro-brewery,” said Mattoon, adding that rezoning may be required to bring the plan to fruition. “All of the ideas had merit, and once we get the final report, the next step will be to implement the goals and objectives.”

In addition, improvements to other areas of the town are changing the landscape. They include an initial plan unveiled in June for a $650,000 Mittineague Park Gateway Project. The work is expected to be finished next year and will include a new pedestrian bridge along the nature trail and improvements to the park’s entranceway, the community garden, a horseshoes tournament pit, and parking facilities. In addition, accessibility to areas around the park, such as the Ezekiel Day House, commonly known as Santa’s House, will be improved.

Traffic flow to the UNICO building located within the park will also be modified, and a $1.4 million renovation of that structure, which began a year ago, has just been completed.

“Now it can be used year-round as a recreational facility,” said Mattoon, noting that the building, which was as constructed by volunteers from the nonprofit service club in the 1970s, was outdated and had never been insulated, so heating costs prohibited using it during the winter.

Improvements include a new kitchen, outdoor playscape, pool, picnic area, and parking lot as well as handicap accessibility.

“It can hold 100 to 150 people, and our plan is to have it become a meeting space for groups such as the Garden Club; the Senior Center will also use it as an ancillary building,” Mattoon said.

Sullivan added that “these things are important because people who do site reviews look at a town’s amenities. We’re investing in West Springfield in hopes that businesses will, too.”

The lack of parking in the Merrick Memorial District and downtown area is another obstacle officials are working to remove, as it has been a roadblock for business owners who have expressed interest in these sections of town but felt the problem was significant enough to settle elsewhere.

“Our zoning is not consistent with the needs of small businesses, especially in the Merrick section,” Noonan said, adding that the district now includes several empty storefronts.

He noted that the regulations were adequate when they were created in the ’50s because, at that time, people who lived there were able to walk to work at nearby companies such as Gibarco, and do the majority of their shopping in the neighborhood. “So many families didn’t own a car,” he told BusinessWest.

Sullivan said efforts are being made to expand the restrictive regulations, and measures may include shared parking space. For example, a business that is open during the day might share space with a restaurant that opens in the evening.

“Things that functioned for the 20th century are being re-examined or built anew for the 21st century,” Noonan added.

To that end, Gehring is exploring areas of town that haven’t been examined for a while to determine if business owners in these locations need help. For example, she recently visited the large industrial section behind Century Plaza on Memorial Avenue, but was happy to report that the business owners didn’t need any assistance from the town.

In addition, Gehring is working closely with the West of the River Chamber’s economic-development team to open lines of communication. “And in June, West Springfield had a table at the Western Mass. Developers Conference in Springfield — it was the first time the town was represented,” Gehring said, adding that she narrated a bus tour through the town in which she highlighted several neighborhoods.

“I want to help move our community forward for the next generation by assisting businesses and improving investment in West Springfield,” she added.

Infrastructure improvement is also ongoing, and West Springfield has undertaken more road repairs this year than it has in the last three or four years. In addition, the town put in a new water main from the Southwick Well Fields to the tanks and feeder system, and purchased additional land to protect the water supply.

The town also enacted a zone change in July in the Memorial Corridor Overlay District. “It was adapted to achieve economic stimulus as well as a means of protection from adverse uses that may or may not be associated with a casino built 800 yards from the West Springfield border,” Mattoon said. “It prohibits businesses such as pawn shops, but opens up opportunities for small businesses operating in 900 square feet or less that were previously not allowed, as it had industrial zoning.”

Multiple Offerings

Sullivan says the improvements West Springfield has made and continues to make, coupled with its focus on helping business owners succeed, should result in growth.

“Why wouldn’t a business want to come here?” he asked rhetorically. “We have everything they could want, and we plan to continue to invest money to enhance the quality of life in town. There is a lot going on here, and it all adds up to what government can do to help promote economic development.”

West Springfield at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 28,391 (2010) 
Area: 17.5 square miles 
County: Hampden 
Residential Tax Rate: $16.41 
Commercial Tax Rate: $31.99
Median Household Income: $40,266 (2010) 
Family Household Income: $50,282 (2010) 
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Northeast Utilities; Brightside for Families and Children; Home Depot; Itt Exelis; UPS
* Latest information available

Scaling Up

Cover Story

New Director Wants to Take the Women’s Fund

Elizabeth Barajas-Román says there are a number of reasons why she actively pursued the position of CEO for the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM).

For starters, there was the opportunity to work in an attractive, challenging position much closer to her home in Northampton — she had been “commuting” to the nation’s capital for her work with the Pew Charitable Trusts as a campaign manager. There was also the chance to continue what had become a career in what she calls “high-impact philanthropy” (much more on her working definition of that term later).

But, perhaps most importantly, there was an opportunity to lead an organization that has more than come into its own over the past several years and is now at a truly critical juncture in its history.

It’s one that Barajas-Román summed up with a term generally reserved for startup businesses looking to get to the next stage — ‘scaling up’ — and she used it to describe not only the fund’s grant-writing work, but its strategic initiatives such as LIPPI, the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact.

“At the Pew Charitable Trusts, I was working on projects that are really focused in on a two- to three-year timespan, and working with partners to pick issues that were really going to move the needle over that time,” said Barajas-Román, who brings to her new position an intriguing résumé that includes everything from work in philanthropy to a stint as a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette. “When I looked at this opening and what the Women’s Fund was doing and the way it’s doing its grant making, I saw a number of similarities to the work I was doing, and that was very attractive to me.

“A lot of grant making is done through funding one organization or another organization, in a piecemeal fashion, like drops in a bucket,” she went on. “But instead, the Women’s Fund has been interested in saying, in essence, ‘if we dump a whole bucket of water on a problem, how much more can we do?’ And that’s what they’ve shifted into over the past few years.”

As an example, she cited the WFWM’s recent announcement that it will be donating $240,000 over the next three years to intriguing initiatives in the four counties of Western Mass. These efforts will focus on everything from teen pregnancy to foster care; from Hampden County’s Prison Birth Project to something called the Franklin County Women’s GARDEN Project Collaborative.

That’s an acronym for Growing Agricultural Resiliency and Developing Economic Networks, said Barajas-Román, adding that the initiative, designed to break down the isolation that affects low-income women in rural communities by teaching them how to grow their own food and also sell what they produce through a food co-op business, is simply one example of how the mission of the WFWM is evolving.

“It provides a real solution to a problem, in this case a woman transitioning out of domestic violence,” she explained. “She needs skills, meaning leadership skills, access to education, and confidence. I’m really thrilled about it, and it exemplifies what we want to do with our resources.”

As she talked about the WFWM (which was named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest in 2012), its current initiatives, and prospects for the future, Barajas-Román made early and frequent use of the words ‘partnership’ and ‘collaboration.’ She said they are the keys to carrying out the agency’s mission to advance social-change philanthropy to create economic and social equality for women and girls in the region — and to improve overall quality of life.

“We’re really looking for people to come together and make an impact together,” she noted, adding that the four recently funded projects, and especially the GARDEN initiative, which includes four community partners, including Greenfield Community College, is a good example of this philosophy.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Barajas-Román about her latest career challenge, where she wants the Women’s Fund to go, and how she intends to get there.

Background — Check

As she takes on her new responsibilities with the WFWM, Barajas-Román has an array of intriguing career stops from which to draw both experience and perspective.

A native of Lincoln, Neb., she moved to Massachusetts — specifically, Harvard University — for her master’s degree in education. She concentrated on international development policy, and her coursework at the Kennedy School of Government included negotiation, regulatory analysis, and financial and strategic management.

Upon graduation, she took a job as a city planner in Cambridge and, among other initiatives, created girls’ programs that focused on academic, leadership, and social development. She also established partnerships with agencies working with children and youth, and served as a resource for other youth-oriented programs in the Greater Boston area.

From there, she became director of Policy & Operations for the Justice Research Institute in Boston, where, among things, she helped orchestrate a six-figure deficit turnaround, helped acquire several new grants, and prepared grant and performance reports for federal, state, and private agencies.

Desiring to be with her spouse in Western Mass., Barajas-Román’s career took a decidedly different direction in early 2005, when she joined the newsroom at the Daily Hampshire Gazette, covering politics, health, and education. She then shifted gears again, becoming associate director of Hampshire College’s Population and Development Program in 2008. In that capacity, she developed outreach strategies for national and international population-policy projects and co-edited policy publications, including a monthly academic paper series called DifferenTakes.

She then took a job as director of Policy for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health in Washington in 2009. There, among a host of other duties, she developed and advanced successful national policy positions on a range of issues involving women, infants and children, immigration, health, and human and civil rights.

At the Pew Charitable Trusts, which she joined in 2012, she managed a portfolio of partner contracts totaling more than $450,000. Her work included writing grant agreements, acknowledgements, and partner work plans.

Summing up all that work experience, Barajas-Román said her previous stops have provided her with a firm understanding of the importance of creating and strengthening partnerships to create positive change in the community, however that term is defined.

She said the role of CEO at the WFWM, which “spoke to me on a number of levels,” will give her an opportunity to generate such partnerships to move that needle on a host of issues involving women and girls.

Though not directly involved with the WFWM while living and working in this region, Barajas-Román said she was well aware of the agency, its mission, and specific initiatives through her circle of friends, and has attended several of its events over the years.

“It was always on my radar,” she noted, adding that, when the CEO’s position became available, she investigated it more and determined it was something she want to be part of.

Impact Statement

As she talked about the Women’s Fund and its mission moving forward, Barajas-Román said the agency is taking its work to the proverbial next level, and has been doing so for some time now.

Elaborating, she said the focus at the WFWM, now 17 years old and with more than $2 million in grants to its credit, is no longer on specific needs — although that’s still part of the equation — but much more on “what it wants the community to look like,” and then taking necessary, and rather involved, steps to make that vision become reality.

And this brings her back to that notion of ‘scaling up’ and the various forms this process will take.

Director Elizabeth Barajas-Román

She started with LIPPI. Launched five years ago, it has now equipped more than 200 women from across the four western counties to become civic leaders in their communities; to impact policy on the local, state, and national levels; and to seek and retain elected positions, said Barajas-Román, adding that the agency’s goal is to increase both the number of participants and their collective reach and impact.

“We have 200 women who have gone through this program,” she said. “That’s a significant pipeline of women who are poised and trained and ready to mobilize on these issues, and we’re ready to activate them.

“That’s one example of the scaling up that we’re doing,” she went on. “We have a cadre of really strong women leaders that we’ve helped train, and we want to grow those numbers.”

And as a step in that direction, the WFWM is investing an additional $12,000 into the partnerships involved with the latest round of funding, by giving each grantee the opportunity to select two of their staff, constituents, or board members to be participants of LIPPI.

As for its grant-writing efforts, Barajas-Román said the WFWM is now more focused on that aforementioned high-impact philanthropy — the full bucket rather than drops in one — and added that the latest round of funding provides some good examples of this.

“The Women’s Fund is looking at these grants and these different issues, and saying, ‘what are the bold goals we can set for the next three years that will make things different for these people and really make an impact?” she said. “The Women’s Fund is now extremely results-driven, and is well-positioned to deliver those results.”

The GARDEN project is such an initiative, she said, noting that this is a partnership between Greenfield Community College’s Sustainable Agriculture and Green Center for Women in Transition, Seeds for Solidarity, the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), and Montague Catholic Social Ministries.

Each organization will recommend women who show potential for success through the project, she said, adding that more than 40 women will participate over the next three years. They will each have the opportunity to take courses at GCC in organic gardening, permaculture landscape installation, food preservation, and farm and food cooperatives.

The Women’s Fund grant will pay for instructor costs, allowing participants to take the course free of charge, and GCC will arrange for instructors to attend a one-time training with NELCWIT and Montague Catholic Social Ministries on how to understand trauma triggers, how to recognize signs of physical and emotional domestic violence, and other factors affecting women in transition.

“This program tackles all the different comprehensive pieces that are involved with helping a woman who is transitioning from a domestic-violence situation,” she explained. “It will give her all the tools she needs to be successful. And it’s a perfect example of the high-impact philanthropy that is our focus.”

On a Grand Scale

One of Barajas-Román’s many priorities moving forward is creation of a new strategic plan for the agency. There is no set timetable for the project — although she did say only that the “time is now” — but what she does know is that the plan will involve all the various types of partners the fund has.

“This isn’t something we’re going to do in any kind of silo,” she explained. “We’re getting a lot of feedback from the community about what they’d like to see from their Women’s Fund over the next three years or five years.

“This idea of community ownership is emerging,” she went on. “This is the community’s fund; that’s the message we’re getting out.”

And it’s a fund set on making an ever-deeper impact, not only on women and girls, but on society in general.

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

Editorial

Opinion

Some Steps in the Right Direction

Several months ago, we wrote about what we perceived as a considerable challenge for this region: finding capable successors for all Baby Boomers — and others — who will be retiring over the next several years.

As we noted, the Boomers will be stepping down in very large numbers over the next decade or so, and the shoes of many of this region’s business and nonprofit leaders will have to be filled by individuals who can take those organizations forward.

Months later, this assignment continues, and as matters unfold, we notice what we believe is a trend, and one that we sincerely hope will continue. Specifically, many of the people now doing the shoe-filling are women.

For example, Maura McCaffrey has taken the helm at Health New England, succeeding long-time president and CEO Peter Straley. Just a few months ago, Joanne Marquesee was chosen as president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.

Roughly a year ago, Mary-Beth Cooper took the reins at Springfield College, becoming the first woman to lead that 128-year-old institution that has long been dominated by men and was originally open only to them. Likewise, Carolyn Martin not long ago became the first woman to lead Amherst College, which also started as a men’s school.

Just recently, Hope Margala was named president and CEO at Yankee Candle Corp., one of the region’s largest employers. Earlier this summer, Dena Hall was named regional president of a much larger United Bank. On the nonprofit side, Kim Goulette has been named executive director of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, succeeding long-time director Rick Lee, and a year ago, Sarah Tsitso became the first woman to lead the Springfield Boys & Girls Club.

The first thing we’ll say about all this is that caution, or discretion, must be exercised whenever the discussion comes around to women being placed in high positions. The last thing we would want to do at BusinessWest is indicate that there is anything extraordinary about this or somehow send a message that someone has been awarded a top-level executive position at a local business or nonprofit — and, wow, she’s a woman!

Indeed, we’re years, if not decades, past the point (or should be) where gender should even be an issue in matters such as filling positions in the executive suite. But, let’s face it, this is something we simply would not have seen 20 years ago, or perhaps even 10 years ago, when the only women college presidents in Western Mass. were running women’s colleges, and all of the region’s banks were run by men.

What has happened?

Well, we’d like to believe that maybe, just maybe, gender is now a non-issue when it comes to appointments such as these. We’d like to think that area businesses and nonprofits are no longer overlooking at least half the qualified candidates for a position.

And maybe women are becoming less hesitant to reach higher for posts such as these because they believe they won’t be discounted because they’re a woman, or hired because they’re a woman; rather, they’ll be hired because they’re the best candidate.

We believe this might be the case, because all of those appointments above do not amount to a coincidence. Instead, they amount to considerable movement in the right direction.

And this movement isn’t just toward putting women in such positions, but rather toward ending the historical habit of effectively eliminating them from the discussion.

It’s a movement that certainly bodes well for this region.

People on the Move

Departments People on the Move

Ralph Abbott Jr

John Glenn

Timothy Murphy

Jay Presser

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., an employment-law firm serving the Greater Springfield area, announced that four of the firm’s partners — Ralph Abbott Jr., John Glenn, Timothy Murphy, and Jay Presser — were listed in 2015 edition of Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Murphy was named the Best Lawyers 2015 litigation, labor and employment Lawyer of the Year in Springfield. Those honored as Lawyer of the Year have received particularly high ratings in surveys by earning a superior level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. More than 52,000 leading attorneys cast more than 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.
• Abbott has been listed in Best Lawyers in the categories of arbitration; employment law, management; labor law, management; and mediation. He has been a partner at the firm since 1975 and is known throughout the legal community for his work representing management in labor relations and employment-related matters, providing employment-related advice to employers, assisting clients in remaining union-free, and representing employers before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Abbott also has numerous credits as an author, editor, and teacher and a record of civic and community involvement. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers every year since 1989.
• Glenn has been listed in Best Lawyers in the categories of arbitration; employment law, management; and labor law, management. He has been a partner of the firm since 1979 and has spent his career representing management in labor relations and employment-related matters. In addition to providing employment-related advice to employers, he assists clients in remaining union-free and represents employers before the NLRB. He has extensive experience negotiating collective-bargaining agreements and representing employers at arbitration hearings and before state and federal agencies. Prior to joining Skoler, Abbott & Presser, Glenn was employed by the NLRB in Cincinnati. He has served as an adjunct professor of Labor Law at Western New England University School of Law and is a member of the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers every year since 1995.
• Murphy has been listed in Best Lawyers in the categories of employment law, management; labor law, management; and litigation, labor and employment. He joined Skoler Abbott after serving as general counsel to an area labor union and as an assistant district attorney for the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. His practice includes labor relations and employment litigation, as well as employment counseling. A native of the Springfield area, Murphy is a graduate of the Western New England University School of Law. He has also taught courses in employment law at WNEU. He is a frequent contributor to business and human-resource publications and a contributing author to the Massachusetts Employment Law Letter. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers every year since 2013.
• Presser has been listed in Best Lawyers in the categories of employment law, management; labor law, management; and litigation, labor and employment. He has more than 35 years of experience litigating employment cases and has successfully defended employers in civil actions and jury trials and handled cases in all areas of employment law, including discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, wage hour, FMLA, ERISA, and defamation. He has won appeals before the Supreme Judicial Court and the First and Second Circuit Courts of Appeals, and represented employers in hundreds of arbitration cases arising under collective-bargaining agreements. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers every year since 1991.
•••••

Robert Belitz

Tighe & Bond, a civil and environmental engineering consultant, has appointed Robert Belitz its Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he will direct Tighe & Bond’s financial operations and priorities, as well as contribute to growth strategies consistent with the firm’s continued expansion in the marketplace. Belitz, who will provide financial management from the firm’s Westfield office, is a certified public accountant and executive with more than 25 years of corporate finance and accounting experience in professional services. He previously has served as the chief financial officer, corporate controller, and vice president of Finance for firms such as Malcolm Pirnie, Arcadis U.S., and the Hunter Roberts Construction Group. He also provided senior management for the public accounting firms of Ernst and Young LLP and KPMG LLP in New York. His prior responsibilities have included oversight and management of all financial functions, as well as developing and implementing financial plans and processes to achieve strategic and operational objectives. “Bob’s wealth of experience in our industry, and his proven ability to successfully direct financial operations, is instrumental to Tighe & Bond’s accelerating growth,” said David Pinsky, president and CEO of Tighe & Bond. “We’re thrilled that he has joined us as Tighe & Bond’s first chief financial officer.” Belitz, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Muhlenberg College, is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs and the Construction Financial Management Assoc. He also has participated in various finance forums with the Environmental Financial Consulting Group, Ernst and Young, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the Design Finance Officers Group. Founded in 1911, Tighe & Bond is one of the most experienced engineering firms in New England, with offices in Pocasset, Westfield, and Worcester, Mass.; Middletown and Shelton, Conn.; and Portsmouth, N.H. With a team of more than 250 employees, Tighe & Bond provides engineering and environmental services for clients in government, industry, healthcare, education, real-estate, energy, and water/wastewater markets.
•••••
Radius Financial Group Inc., a leading private mortgage lender in New England, has announced the addition of Kate Crogan as a Loan Officer in its West Springfield branch. Crogan brings three years of experience in mortgage lending. Most recently, she was a customer-service representative before being promoted to financial-services representative at TD Bank in Chicopee, where she was responsible for first and second mortgages, insurance, and annuities. She is currently studying business at Western New England University.
•••••

Keith Minoff

Keith Minoff was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2015 in the fields of commercial litigation and corporate law. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. More than 52,000 leading attorneys cast more than 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Minoff specializes in business litigation and employment law. His law office is located in downtown Springfield.
•••••

Paul Fortin

Northeast IT Systems Inc. announced the addition of Paul Fortin to its team. Fortin will be joining Joel Mollison and Brian Sullivan as a Desktop Support Specialist. In that role, Fortin is able to implement cloud-based backup systems, reduce downtime of equipment, and increase speed of repairs for clients. With this new addition, Northeast IT Systems will be able to continue its pattern of steady growth and provide solutions to a broad range of clients.
•••••
Brattleboro Retreat President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Simpson Jr., has been named by Behavioral Healthcare magazine as a 2014 Behavioral Healthcare Champion along with four other leaders in the field of mental health from across the nation. The 2014 champions were selected from outstanding nominees across the country who, according to the magazine, are making a difference in the development, delivery, and effectiveness of mental healthcare services. “True leaders create lasting impact, and our 2014 Behavioral Healthcare Champions all have an eye on the future,” said Julie Miller, editor in chief of Behavioral Healthcare magazine. “Their drive to find new and more effective ways to serve their clients is reflected not just in their own organizations’ success, but also in the progress they’ve witnessed in their communities.” The 2014 Behavioral Healthcare Champions are profiled in the July/August 2014 issue of Behavioral Healthcare magazine and were recognized at a special ceremony during the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) and the co-located Behavioral Healthcare Leadership Summit, which was held in St. Louis on Aug. 22-26. Simpson’s many achievements since becoming the Retreat’s CEO in November 2006 are discussed in-depth in the above-mentioned profile. Among those achievements are a complete revamp of the hospital’s admissions process that replaced a multi-channel system of patient access with a streamlined, single-access point that makes access to the Retreat’s numerous programs easier and more dignified for patients. Under Simpson’s watch, the retreat has successfully launched four specialty clinical services designed to better meet the psychiatric and addiction treatment needs of distinct populations that are typically underserved. They are the Adult Inpatient Program for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender; the Emerging Adult Inpatient Program for young adults ages 18 to 26; the Uniformed Service Program, a partial-hospital program designed to meet the unique needs of law enforcement, firefighters, corrections officers, military personnel, and first responders suffering from PTSD and other duty-related issues including addiction to alcohol and other drugs, major depression, and domestic violence; and the Mind Body Pain Management Clinic, a treatment alternative for people experiencing chronic pain that utilizes biofeedback, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and mindful movement in place of typical treatments such as medication and surgery.
During Simpson’s tenure, the Retreat has experienced tremendous growth, having increased its number of staffed beds from an average of 50 in 2006 to an average of 122 in 2014. During the same time, the Brattleboro Retreat has doubled its number of employees from approximately 400 to more than 800.

Holyoke Medical Center’s ‘Golf Fore Health’ Slated for Sept. 22

HOLYOKE — If you’re looking to stay in the swing of things this fall, check out the 26th annual “Golf Fore Health” tournament sponsored by Holyoke Medical Center. The event will take place Monday, Sept. 22 at the Springfield Country Club in West Springfield and the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley.

The traditional post-tournament cocktail party, with stations, awards ceremony, and auction, will be held at the Springfield Country Club. As in years past, Dave Madsen and Scott Coen will inject their humor into the event as co-masters of ceremonies for the cocktail party, which starts at 4:30 p.m. The proceeds for this year’s event will again benefit Holyoke Medical Center’s Emergency Department project.

The golf tournament is run in a scramble format and starts at 11:30 a.m. The $660 entry fee per foursome includes an 18-hole round of golf, golf cart, participant gift, team photo, lunch, refreshments, and cocktail party. If you’re not a golfer but still want to enjoy a fun night, tickets for the cocktail party at Springfield Country Club can be purchased for $40, which includes food stations, live and silent auctions, door prizes, a raffle, and the award ceremony.

Sponsorship opportunities are available in a variety of options. In addition, the committee is looking for desirable items for both the live and silent auctions. Emerald sponsors for this year’s event include Goss & McLain Insurance Agency and R. Gopal Malladi, M.D. The Gold sponsor is Atlantic Charter Insurance Co., and Silver sponsors include BLUE Benefit Administrators of Massachusetts, the O’Connell Companies, and Coverys and Jefferson Radiology. Bronze sponsors include Falcetti & Clark Electrical Supply, Bulkley Richardson, People’s United Bank, and Barr & Barr.

For information regarding sponsorships, golf, auctions, or the cocktail party, call (413) 534-2579 or e-mail Denise Rebmann, Development coordinator for Holyoke Medical Center, at [email protected].

Picture This

Departments Picture This

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

Cold Cash

The leaders of Berkshire Bank and Hampden Bank recently challenged their employees to take part in the popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has raised well over $100 million in just a few weeks. Above, the Berkshire Bank Foundation donated $50 for each of the first 50 employees who took part in the challenge and shared their videos on Facebook. More than 50 bank employees completed the challenge within the first three days, and the foundation will make a $2,500 contribution to the ALS Assoc., which provides care services to assist people with ALS and their families through a network of chapters working in communities across the nation, while maintaining a global research program focused on the discovery of treatments and eventually a cure for the disease. Meanwhile, Hampden Bank President Glenn Welch challenged his employees (bottom) to take the challenge and matched the $1,000 donation made by the employee dress-down fund, for a total of $2,000. “I think it’s really great that we were able to do this and get other companies involved to support such a great cause. We at Hampden Bank are always looking for ways to give back,” Welch said.

Block Party

On Aug. 21, Springfield College partnered with the Old Hill and Upper Hill Neighborhood Councils, HAPHousing, and the Partnership for the Renewal of Old Hill in hosting the 11th annual Block Party on the Hill. The event featured live music and free barbeque, along with information about housing, health, education, and community services. Children also enjoyed a bounce house and face painting. Pictured at top, from left, are Block Party Planning Committee members Mattie Lacewell, Kathy Smith, Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper, Sarah Page, Adrienne Osborne, Jill Russell, and Ethel Griffin.

Fore! … a Good Cause

The 34th annual Brightside Golf Classic drew 180 golfers to Springfield Country Club in West Springfield and Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow. The event raised just over $108,500 to support Brightside for Families and Children in Holyoke, which provides in-home counseling and support to children and their families throughout Western Mass. Pictured, first row, from left: Brightside’s Maria Zygmont; Brightside Golf Classic co-chairs John Kendzierski, Steve Lowell, and William Wagner; and Brightside’s Mark Paglia. Second row, from left: Diane Dukette, vice president of Fund Development, SPHS; Martin Caine; Jeslyn Carr; Brightside Golf Classic co-chair Paul Fritz; Benjamin Coyle; Jay Babcock; and Daniel Moen, president and CEO of the Sisters of Providence Health System.

Insurance Center of New England Takes ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

AGAWAM — When an employee challenged her company to take part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the Insurance Center of New England Inc. (ICNE), one of the largest locally owned, independent insurance agencies in New England, cheerfully accepted, and 17 employees cheerfully dumped icy water on their heads to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Laurie Brunton, personal lines risk manager at ICNE, brought the challenge to her workplace, where it was accepted with enthusiasm. In addition to completing the challenge, ICNE made a generous donation on behalf of the employees. Employees who participated included everyone from junior staffers to President and CEO William Trudeau.

“I want to say thank you to the 17 co-workers that got soaked and the 11 that happily helped! I love this agency and its willingness to support such a great cause, and I am proud to be part of the ICNE team,” Brunton said.

Added Trudeau, “at ICNE, we believe in making a difference. With 5,600 people diagnosed with ALS every year in the U.S., we were happy to participate in this challenge if it helps raise awareness and funds to help find a cure. We hope that our contribution brings us one step closer to easing the suffering of those living with ALS and their families.”

Court Dockets

Court Dockets Departments

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

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Anne-Therese Stark v. Stop & Shop Supermarket, LLC
Allegation: Slip and fall on foreign subject causing injury: $290,000
Filed: 6/20/14

Kelli J. Fortin v. Baystate Medical Practices and Pioneer Women’s Health
Allegation: Unauthorized disclosure of private information to third party: $25,000+
Filed: 7/31/14

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Fuelrite, LLC v. Robert N. Tatro d/b/a Tatro Trucking
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $11,481.57
Filed: 8/5/14

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Kilnapp Enterprises Inc d/b/a Real Clean v. Eliezer Claudio d/b/a Star Auto Detailing
Allegation: Defendant breached the non-compete and non-solicit provisions of a business-to-business contract: $45,000
Filed: 7/22/14

Thomas Sullivan v. Jen-Coat Inc.
Allegation: Defendant unjustly terminated plaintiff’s employment after treatment for colon cancer in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: $25,000+
Filed: 7/23/14

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Jacqueline Diaz v. Ransome Idealease, LLC and Jonah Pitts
Allegation: Negligent operation of tractor trailer truck: $24,000
Filed: 7/29/14

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Beacon Sales Co. v. Jamie Ludwig and Courtney Ludwig d/b/a Luggy’s Roofing and Construction
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $6,363.17
Filed: 6/30/14

Comcast Spotlight Inc. v. Smithfest Events Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $9,606.17
Filed: 6/30/14

ICC Trucking v. JCL Trucking Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $26,500.17
Filed: 8/7/14

Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and LM Insurance Corp. v. HB Roofing Contractor, L.P.
Allegation: Non-payment of workers compensation policies: $12,903.98
Filed: 7/3/14

Rosalinda Rosa, Carlos F. Rivera and Pedro Principe v. Bertera Chrysler Jeep Dodge Inc. and Joseph Deausealt
Allegation: Sale of motor vehicle that did not comply with warranty: $24,999.99
Filed: 7/30/14

Tamara Walker v. 227 Mill Street, LLC, The Mercy Hospital Inc. d/b/a Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program, and Sisters of Providence Health System Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property: $20,000
Filed: 8/11/14

Agenda

Agenda Departments

Millfest After 5
Sept. 10: Ludlow Mills on State Street in Ludlow will be the site of Millfest, the first After 5 of the chamber season, from 5 p.m. to dusk. The event will be presented by the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce (ERC5), an affiliate of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS), in partnership with the ACCGS. The rain date is Sept. 11. Sponsored by Chicopee Savings Bank and MGM Springfield, Millfest will take place in an outdoor tented environment and will provide attendees the opportunity to network in a casual and informal setting. Attendees will also be able to network with many of the businesses that are based in this unique industrial complex and learn more about the Ludlow Riverwalk. Attendees will enjoy music; complimentary hot dogs, hamburgers, and apple pie; and a cash bar provided by Europa Black Rock Bar & Grill, as well as a display of classic cars, amusements, and a special dedication to the region’s first responders. Reservations are $15 for members and $25 for the general public. Net proceeds benefit the ERC5 Scholarship Fund. Reservations may be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com.

Affordable Care Act Roundtable Seminar
Sept. 11: With changes coming to the Affordable Care Act in 2015, business owners and managers need to ensure that their companies are up to speed on the newest developments, including the employer mandate, which will go into effect next year. Attorney Channez Rogers, an associate with the Northampton-based firm Royal LLP, will lead a roundtable-style seminar where she will provide practical pointers to assist attendees with helping their organizations stay current with the latest Obamacare provisions. Rogers will cover topics such as what to include in a comprehensive package, who is subject to the employer mandate and how to comply, and penalties for non-compliance. The seminar will be staged at Royal LLP’s offices, at 270 Pleasant St. in Northampton, from 8 to 9 a.m. The cost is $30 per person, and advance registration and payment are required. Seating will be limited. Contact Ann-Marie Marcil at (413) 586-2288 or e-mail [email protected] to register or if you have any questions about this seminar.

Amherst Area Chamber Annual Awards Dinner
Oct. 2: The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce announced the upcoming Farm to Table Annual Awards Dinner, to be held Oct. 2 at Hadley Farms Meeting House in Hadley. The dinner, a yearly celebration that is a highlight of area businesses’ community social calendar, is expected to sell out. This year’s award winners reflect a celebration and acknowledgement of a number of community partners and leaders. The “A+” Award Winners include the Rotary Club of Amherst, which will receive the chamber’s Community Service Award, recognizing the many contributions that this group of volunteers has made to the Amherst area, in addition to its work dedicated to the global eradication of polio; Stephanie O’Keeffe, who will receive the chamber’s Legacy Award, a celebration of what this individual has accomplished, specifically in her role on the Amherst Select Board; and Tony Maroulis, former executive director of the organization, who will receive the chamber’s Most Valuable Player award for all of his hard work elevating the chamber’s stature and involvement in the community. “It was a daunting task to sift through the nominations for this year’s batch of award winners, because as there are so many individuals and organizations in this community worthy of recognition,” said Don Courtemanche, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “We feel that the recipients that we have selected represent the best, the brightest, and the most outstanding of the terrific partners that the chamber is fortunate to be associated with.” Tickets for the dinner will be available Sept. 2. Reservations for the dinner or for the program book may be made by contacting the chamber at (413) 253-0700.

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 150 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 and MGM Springfield. Silver Sponsors are Health New England, DIF Design, Johnson & Hill Staffing, and MassMutual Financial Group. Education sponsor is the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600.

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

Chamber Corners Departments

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

• Sept. 10: ERC5/ACCGS Millfest After 5, 5 p.m. to dusk, at Ludlow Mills, 100 State St., Ludlow. Tickets are $15 for members, $25 for general admission.

• Sept. 23: ACCGS Pastries, Politics & Policy, 8-9 a.m.
An informal roundtable discussion, designed for political and policy junkies. Reservations are $15 for members, $25 for general admission, which includes continental breakfast. Reservations may be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com.

• Sept. 30: Rake in the Business Table Top Showcase, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Network with more than 100 vendors. Reservations are $5 in advance, $10 at the door. Reservations may be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Sept. 10: CEO Luncheon at the Munich Haus Restaurant. Registration at 11:45, lunch at noon. Network and hear from Eric Lapointe, executive vice president of the Springfield Falcons, who recently joined the organization and oversees all revenue-generating functions of the team. Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for general admission.

• Sept. 17: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Collegian Court, 89 Park St., Chicopee. Tickets are $20 for members, $26 for non-members.
• Sept. 25: The “Taking Care of Business,” series continues with “Negotiating and Understanding Leases,” 9-11 a.m., at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 500 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Sponsored by Common Capital. Cost is $20 for members, $30 for non-members.

• Sept. 30: Table Top Expo & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr. in Chicopee. Presented by the Greater Chicopee, Holyoke, and Westfield chambers of commerce and ACCGS. Tickets are $5 pre-registered, $10 at the door. Sign up at www.chicopeechamber.org.

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

• Sept. 11: Networking By Night Business Card Exchange, 5-7 p.m., at the Look Park Garden House, 300 North Main St., Florence. Sponsored by Residential Mortgage Services. Door prizes, hors d’ouevres, host beer and wine. Tickets: $5 for members, $15 for future members. RSVP requested.

• Sept. 12-13: Electronic recycling fund-raiser, Sept. 12, 1-4 p.m.; Sept. 13, 8:30 to noon. Dropoff location at Liberty and Mechanic streets, Easthampton. Sponsored by Duseau Trucking LLC and A-Z Storage & Properties. Proceeds to benefit the chamber’s programs, including the Holiday Lighting Fund. Responsibly dispose of your old computers, monitors, TVs, telephones, stereos, and office or home appliances. No registration required; open to all members of the Greater Easthampton community. Nominal recycling fees. We cannot accept refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, or any appliances containing freon. For more information, contact the chamber.

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376

• Sept. 10: Legislative Coffee Hour, 7:45-9 a.m., at Slainte Restaurant, 80 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke, featuring guest speakers Mayor Alex Morse, City Council President Kevin Jourdain, and City Treasurer Jon Lumbra. Sponsored by Ferriter Law and Marcotte Ford. Tickets are $18 for members, $25 at the door and for non-members.

• Sept. 17: Annual Outing Clambake, 5:30-8 p.m., at Holyoke Country Club, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Lobster dinner, putting contest, raffle prizes, 50/50 raffle, chowder cookoff. Sponsored by United Water, Pioneer Valley Railroad, and CareerPoint. Tickets are $30 for members and advance reservations, and $40 for non-members and at the door. The public is invited to attend.

• Sept. 30: Table Top Showcase, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee. Four area chambers — Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, Greater Westfield, and the ACCGS — are getting together to present a tabletop mini-trade show. Tables cost $125. Visitors pay $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call the Holyoke Chamber at (413) 534-3376 to secure a table, or sign up online at holyokechamber.com.

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

• Sept. 10: Northampton Chamber Monthly Arrive @5, 5-7 p.m. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can. Sponsors: Greenfield Savings Bank, Hathaway Farms, and United Personnel. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

• Sept. 11: 2014 Workshop: “Introduction to Google Docs,” 9-11 a.m. at Pioneer Training, 139B Damon Road, Northampton. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for non-members. To register, e-mail [email protected].

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

• Sept. 8: Chamber Open House, 4-7 p.m., at the Greater Westfield Chamber, 16 North Elm St., Westfield. Help us celebrate our new location by stopping in to see our new office. Refreshments will be served.

• Sept. 9: Lunch & Lecture Series 1, presented by Tim Flynn, AAMS, Edward Jones Investments, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Noble Hospital, Conference Room A, Westfield. Topic: “Retirement and Investments for Business.” Cost: free to chamber members, $25 for non-members, or $60 for all three in the series. For more information, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Sept. 10: After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Sponsored by Advanced Medical Consulting and Billing. Complimentary refreshments provided. Walk-ins are welcome. Cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members (cash at the door). To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Sept. 15: Speaker Series, part 1 of 3. “Legal Issues Affecting Business,” presented by Royal LLP, 8-9:15 a.m., at the Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center, Westfield. Cost: free to chamber members, $25 for non-members, or $60 for all three in the series. For more information, call Pam at the chamber office, (413) 568-1618.

• Sept. 19: September Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the 104th Fighter Wing ANG, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield. Sponsors: Platinum, Westfield Bank; Gold, Savage Arms; Silver, Prolamina and Wealth Technology Group. Speaker: Dr. Alan Robinson, co-author of The Idea-Driven Organization. Cost is $25 for members, $30 for non-members. To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618. Consider donating a raffle prize to the event.

• Sept. 30: 17th Annual Table Top Showcase, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights, Chicopee. Cost: $5 in advance through the chamber or $10 at the door. Opportunities available for sponsorships and exhibitor tables. For more information, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

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

• Sept. 24: PWC Headline Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Yankee Pedlar, 1866 Northampton St., Holyoke. The speaker will be Jane Iredale, president and founder of Jane Iredale Skin Care. Tickets are $25 for members, $35 for general admission.

SOUTH HADLEY GRANBY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 532-6451
www.shgchamber.com

• Sept. 16: “What’s Your Granby Business?” Open House, 5 p.m., hosted by the new Granby Free Public Library, 297 East State St., Granby. Mingle with South Hadley and Granby business people and check out the beautiful new Granby library. Finger food and beverages. Tickets are $5 for chamber members, $10 for non-members, unless you are a Granby business owner — then it’s free.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(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. Join us for an open house.

• Sept. 17: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m. at Kaptain Jimmy’s, 916 Suffield St, Agawam. Network with fellow chamber members over lunch. Each member will get approximately one minute to offer a brief pitch about their company. E-mail [email protected] to register.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

Baystate Announces Leadership Appointments, New Name for Wing
SPRINGFIELD — With the change of Wing Memorial Hospital’s parent company from UMass Memorial Health Care to Baystate Health expected to take place on Sept. 1, Baystate Health announced leadership appointments for its Eastern Region and a new name for the Palmer hospital: Baystate Wing Hospital. As of Sept. 1, Dr. Charles Cavagnaro III, now president and CEO of Wing Memorial Hospital, will be appointed president of Baystate Health’s Eastern Region, which is comprised of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, Baystate Wing Hospital, and the employed medical practices and medical centers in that region. As he assumes this leadership position, Cavagnaro has appointed Dr. Shafeeq Ahmed chief operating officer of Baystate Health’s Eastern Region. Ahmed will also continue in his role as chief medical officer of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital and Baystate Medical Practices Eastern Region. As president of the region, Cavagnaro will provide strategic, executive, and operational leadership for the two hospitals there, which provide inpatient medical, surgical, gynecological, and behavioral-health services; emergency services; as well as a range of primary-care and other outpatient services for about 80,000 people in that region. He will report to Dennis Chalke, senior vice president of Baystate Health Community Hospitals and senior vice president and chief financial officer of Baystate Health. Cavagnaro has served as president and CEO of Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers for the past 15 years. Before that, he was Wing’s vice president of Medical Affairs. In 2013, he served as interim president of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Amid a challenging financial environment, Cavagnaro and his team have led Wing to serve a greater number of patients, add hospital beds, and increase the depth and breadth of services in its health centers and outpatient practices. The hallmark of his leadership is a focus on quality and safety that led to an ‘A’ safety rating for Wing from Leapfrog Group and Top Performer status from the Joint Commission on core accountability measures. Cavagnaro is a board-certified primary-care internist in Belchertown and sees patients on a weekly basis. He is a Six Sigma and Lean Green Belt in healthcare quality-improvement processes. Cavagnar completed his residency in internal medicine at UMass Medical Center and is a graduate of Cornell University Medicine College in New York City. He is a member of the American College of Physician Executives and the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He was a founding member of the American Academy of Hospice Physicians, which is now known as the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He has served as a medical examiner for District IV of Hampshire County, and as a member of the board of directors of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the Red Cross. He presently serves on the American Hospital Assoc. Regional Policy Board for the New England Region. Ahmed was recently named one of ‘100 Hospital and Health System Chief Medical Officers to Know’ by Becker’s Hospital Review. Prior to his arrival at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, Ahmed had served as president of the medical staff, chief of Ob/Gyn, and a member of the hospital board of directors at the Naval Hospital in Cherry Point in North Carolina. Ahmed is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist at Baystate Medical Practices – Mary Lane Ob/Gyn in Ware, and sees patients on a weekly basis.  Over the next several months, Cavagnaro and Ahmed will be working together as part of a larger, broadly experienced team to develop the integration strategy for Baystate Health’s Eastern Region. The name Baystate Wing Hospital aspires to honor the hospital’s more-than-100-year history, and recognize the vision and contributions of the Wing family and the countless others who have contributed their time, talents, and money to making Wing the strong community health provider it is today, while also celebrating Wing’s new affiliation with Baystate Health.

Springfield College Named College of Distinction
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College has again been identified as a 2014-15 College of Distinction for providing an innovative, teacher-centered undergraduate education with a strong record of preparing its graduates for real-world success. Colleges of Distinction is a college guide that for the last 15 years has recognized colleges it determines to be the best places to learn, grow, and succeed. The goal of Colleges of Distinction is to provide students, counselors, and parents with information about such schools. Colleges of Distinction describes schools that take a holistic approach to admissions decisions, consistently excel in providing undergraduate education, and have a national reputation. It also gives students, counselors, and parents an unbiased look at the college-admissions process. Colleges of Distinction looks at the myths surrounding college admissions, provides tools for self-assessment, and provides insights from college-admissions professionals, high-school counselors, students, and parents. Founded in 1885, Springfield College is known worldwide for the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others. The college offers a range of undergraduate- and graduate-degree programs in the fields of health sciences, human and social services, sport management and movement studies, education, business, and the arts and sciences. It also offers doctoral programs in physical education, physical therapy, and counseling psychology. The college is ranked in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges in the top tier of “Best Regional Universities — North Region” by U.S. News Media Group, and is designated as a premier Leadership Development Center by the YMCA of the USA. More than 5,000 traditional, non-traditional, and international students study at its main campus in Springfield and its School of Human Services campuses across the country.

NBSB Cuts Ribbons in Ware, East Brookfield, and Three Rivers Village
NORTH BROOKFIELD — North Brookfield Savings Bank recently held ribbon-cutting events at its Ware, West Brookfield, and Three Rivers Village of Palmer branches. The events took place following the bank’s merger with FamilyFirst Bank in June. “North Brookfield Savings Bank is honored to be a part of these great communities and hopes to make a positive impact for businesses and individuals for years to come,” said NBSB President and CEO Donna Boulanger. “We look forward to being ‘where it’s at’ for specially tailored financial products and services, the best customer service, community support, and fun community events.” The ribbon cuttings drew current and prospective members of the Massachusetts Legislature. State Rep. Todd Smola attended the event at the Three Rivers Village branch, state Senate candidate Mike Valanzola attended the event at the Ware branch, and state Sen. Stephen Brewer and state Rep. Anne Gobi attended the East Brookfield branch ribbon cutting. In addition to carrying the North Brookfield Savings Bank name, the three new NBSB branches feature state-of-the-art banking for residents and businesses alike, while renovations to the 40-44 Main St., Ware branch will begin shortly to provide more cutting-edge banking services and access to the business bankers at the NBSB Business Center.

Advance Welding Relocates to Springfield
WEST SPRINGFIELD — After more than 36 years of doing business in West Springfield, Advance Welding will relocate to Brookdale Drive in Springfield on Sept. 2. “As our capabilities and customer base continue to grow, this move will improve our ability to process our customers’ work,” said Advance Welding President Christopher Kielb. The company is a provider of metal-joining services to the commercial, marine, nuclear, medical, aerospace, and defense industries. Its operations and management team will remain the same. The new address is 150 Brookdale Dr., and the phone number will remain (413) 734-4544.

Country Bank Contributes $14,500 to Local Schools
WARE — Country Bank surprised 29 local schools that participate in the bank’s Savings Makes Sense School Banking Program with $500 gift cards to Staples. Each school received the donation to help cover the cost of back-to-school supplies. “We know how difficult it is for the schools to have the supplies they need when budgets become tight,” said Jodie Gerulaitis, financial education officer for Country Bank. “They are truly so grateful and appreciative of this gift.” It is reported that teachers annually spend about $250 of their own money to purchase items for their classrooms. Country Bank wanted to help teachers who do so much for their students. Country Bank serves Central and Western Mass. with 15 offices in Ware, Palmer, Brimfield, Belchertown, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Paxton, Charlton, Leicester, and West Brookfield.

PeoplesBank Supports Women Business Owners
HOLYOKE — In support of the growth and success of women business owners, PeoplesBank is partnering with WomenUpFront to host a monthly, ongoing roundtable for women who have ownership and leadership responsibility and want to grow toward $1 million in annual revenue. The WomenUpFront Roundtable provides a learning forum for owners to get out of the weeds of the day-to-day routine and look at their businesses more purposefully and strategically. The objective of the roundtable is to help accelerate women entrepreneurs transition their businesses to the next level and place their companies in a better strategic position to access new opportunities and continue to prosper. The roundtable offers a curriculum designed for the small-business owners and will begin in September. For more information on WomenUpFront and membership criteria, contact Cathy Crosky at [email protected] or (413) 822-1263.

Berkshire Bank Wins Communicator Awards
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank has received two Communicator Awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). The bank received 2014 Silver Awards of Distinction in two categories, Commercials – Banks and Annual Report – Corporation. Each year, AIVA receives more than 6,000 entries from across the U.S. and around the world, making the Communicator Awards the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. Berkshire’s television commercial for banks recognized by the Communicator Awards was its “Life Is Exciting. Let Us Help” spot developed by Berkshire Bank’s marketing department. The bank’s second Silver Award of Distinction from the Communicator Award was for its 2013 annual report. Founded in 1994, the Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an organization of more than 600 leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

State to Purchase Knowledge Corridor Line
GREENFIELD — Gov. Deval Patrick announced an agreement in principle allowing the Commonwealth to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line between East Northfield and Springfield from Pan Am Southern, a joint venture of Pan Am and Norfolk Southern. The 49-mile segment of rail is currently undergoing a major restoration that will allow for more efficient passenger service, in response to increased demand, and will allow the Commonwealth to maintain and enhance freight service, which will take trucks off the roads, reducing congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions. “For close to 100 years, the Commonwealth’s rail infrastructure was the lifeblood of economic vitality for communities in Franklin and Berkshire counties, and across Western Mass.,” said Patrick. “Through this agreement, we are realizing the renewed value this infrastructure can have in creating economic opportunities throughout the region.” The agreement in principle to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line is an important milestone in the Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter Project. The project will restore the original route of Amtrak’s Vermonter travelling between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. from its current routing via Palmer and Amherst. The work on the project includes upgrades to the 50-mile Pan Am Southern Connecticut River Line running between Springfield and East Northfield, known as the Knowledge Corridor. The ongoing restoration project will lead to the relocation of the Vermonter, Amtrak’s north-south passenger rail service to the Knowledge Corridor, by the end of 2014, potentially reducing trip times by 25 minutes. Starting in East Northfield, the restoration runs south to Springfield and includes the construction of three new station platforms in Greenfield, Northampton, and Holyoke. Passenger service on this line ceased in the 1980s and was rerouted southeast to Palmer, where trains reverse direction and head west to Springfield. “It is clear that the residents of Western Massachusetts are hungry for rail service,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern. “Today’s announcement, coupled with state and federal investments to rehabilitate the Knowledge Corridor line, will make such service a reality.” Added U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, “as an outspoken supporter of increased rail travel throughout New England, I am pleased the Commonwealth has agreed to purchase the rail line that runs along the Knowledge Corridor. The completion of this segment of track will lead to increased passenger and freight service from the Pioneer Valley to the Vermont border. Not only will this project will help improve our transportation infrastructure, it will also grow the local economy. It’s exciting news for Western Massachusetts.” Initiated in August 2012, the restoration work consists of the replacement of approximately 95,000 rail ties, new continuously welded rail, new active warning signals and crossing gates at 23 public-grade crossings, upgrades to six bridges, and the first phase of a new signal installation. The restoration is funded through a $75 million grant awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration and approximately $40 million in state funds. The work is expected to be complete in 2016, after the start of passenger service. These improvements will improve safety, increase operating speeds for existing freight-train traffic and the Vermonter, and enhance capacity on the rail line to accommodate future increased levels of train traffic. “The Knowledge Corridor is a rail asset that will play a key role in the region’s transportation system, both by delivering improved customer service in the form of faster travel times, as well as by being built to a standard that can accommodate more freight,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey. “Purchasing the line will also allow us to preserve the line’s viability for the long term, and will position the Commonwealth to use this line for increased passenger service that could provide commuters in the region a competitive alternative to driving on I-91.” The Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter project is part of the vision for a New England high-speed, intercity rail network that will provide a foundation for economic competitiveness and promote livable communities from major and smaller cities to rural areas. Beyond the Knowledge Corridor, the Commonwealth’s work to increase rail opportunities for commuters and tourists alike continues. MassDOT has been working closely with Pan Am Southern, the city of North Adams, and the town of Adams to have Berkshire Scenic Railway operate the Adams Branch railroad line between the two towns. The operation of a scenic railway between North Adams and Adams would be another draw for the thousands of tourists who flock to the Berkshires each year.

Assistance Center Opens in North Adams for Former Hospital Workers
NORTH ADAMS — State Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rachel Kaprielian and state Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz recently joined legislators and local workforce-development officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open a worker-assistance center inside North Adams City Hall. The center is the latest effort to marshal state resources in helping 530 area residents who lost their jobs when North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) and its affiliates closed in March. “The Patrick Administration is committed to making sure no worker or region is left behind as the state’s economy continues to improve and enjoys record job growth,” said Kaprielian. “This center and the skills-training opportunities the state is allocating will help get these residents back to work.” The Mass. Department of Public Health has been instrumental in helping the hospital reopen as a healthcare facility and restore regional healthcare services. Three months ago, Berkshire Health Systems opened an emergency room in the facility and hired approximately 150 former NARH employees. “Massachusetts is committed to ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible in every region across the Commonwealth,” said Polanowicz. “This worker assistance center in North Adams reinforces the administration’s commitment to the region’s healthcare community, and to supporting workers, patients, and families.” Added North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright, “a huge ‘thank you’ to our state partners at the Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development, and our local partners at Berkshire County Regional Employment Board and BerkshireWorks, for providing this wonderful opportunity to the residents of our Greater Northern Berkshire region. This center will provide significant resources to the unemployed and underemployed that will help them seek out opportunities and provide training for the skills necessary to attain employment. What is also very exciting is that this center will be located right next to our Veteran’s Services Office, providing an on-the-spot resource for our local veterans seeking employment.”

State, MassChallenge Launch Government Innovation Competition
BOSTON — MassIT, the Commonwealth’s lead state agency for technology across the executive branch, announced a first-of-its-kind MassIT Government Innovation Competition, with a $50,000 prize for the winning project. MassIT will partner with MassChallenge, a start-up accelerator that supports high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs, on this initiative. The goal of the MassIT Government Innovation Competition is to provide high-quality startups with incentives to develop innovative solutions that can help the state government meet constituent needs more efficiently and at lower cost to taxpayers. For the first time, the Commonwealth will have access to entrepreneurs focused on improving the constituent-government relationship. The Commonwealth plans to implement a pilot of the winning project, with the goal of cost-effectively improving delivery of services to constituents, achieving greater internal efficiencies, or both. “Massachusetts is renowned as a hub for technology and innovation; MassChallenge’s support of high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs has helped enhance that reputation. By working together, MassIT and MassChallenge can accelerate the Commonwealth’s use of technology solutions and harness the wealth of expertise available to us,” said Bill Oates, the state’s chief information officer. MassChallenge awards more than $1 million in cash prizes each year to winning startups, with zero equity taken. Additional benefits for startups include world-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, legal advice, media exposure, and more than $10 million of in-kind support. MassChallenge is open to early-stage entrepreneurs from any industry, from anywhere in the world. Now in its fifth year, the competition has supported 489 startups, which have created more than 4,000 new jobs and raised more than $550 million in outside funding. This year alone, MassChallenge received approximately 1,650 applications from 50 countries and 40 states. After initial rounds of judging of all applicants, 128 finalists — in honor of Massachusetts’s Route 128 technology corridor — are invited to participate in MassChallenge’s four-month startup accelerator program and related sidecar competitions. The MassIT Government Innovation Competition is open to any qualifying startup that applies by the Aug. 27 deadline. Entrepreneurs whose work can help MassIT leverage innovation to support, enable, and transform the operation of state government and delivery of services to constituents are invited to compete.

State Reaches Solar Milestone
BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick announced another major clean-energy milestone, surpassing 15,000 solar installations in the Commonwealth. There are now 15,762 systems installed across Massachusetts, a 20-fold increase from 2008. “This achievement is due in large part to the strength of the Massachusetts solar industry,” Patrick said. “Clean-energy investments are smart for the environment and the economy, as proven by our 24% industry job growth in the last two years.” There were 778 systems installed in Massachusetts on Jan. 1, 2008. As a result of this exponential growth, Massachusetts ranked fourth in the nation for new solar capacity installed in 2013 by the Solar Energy Industries Assoc. It also ranked fourth nationally in total solar jobs in 2013 by the Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census. There are more than 8,000 people working in the solar industry in the Commonwealth, and nearly 80,000 clean-energy workers at 5,500 companies. “These achievements show that the Patrick administration’s policies and strategic investments are paying off,” said state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett. “When we are competitive with other states much sunnier than ours, it’s a testament to the commitment of state and local officials, as well as home and business owners across the Commonwealth, to renewable energy.”

Incorporations

Departments Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

FAS Enterprises Inc., 418 Meadow St., Unit B1, Agawam, MA 01001. Frank Santinello, same. Bakery distribution service.

CHICOPEE

Friends of the Granby Veterans Inc. 315 Chicopee St., Chicopee, MA 01033. Michael Pandora, same. A non-profit organization established for the purpose of raising money to build a veterans memorial in order to honor the men and women of this town that served our nation in a time of war.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Icare Foundation Inc., 75 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Sherrill Pineda, 15 Norwottuck Dr., Hadley, MA 01028. A non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide programs and funding resources for such programs as Medicare, Medicaid, veterans administration, local nonprofit organizations through charitable funding such as: program development, product and services development, support research studies, healthcare/home care, educational purposes for veterans.

GRANBY

Granby Preservation Society Inc., 220 West State St., Granby, MA 01033. Christine Beck, 15 Kellogg St., Granby, MA 01033. A non-profit organization designed to raise funds and acquire grant money to provide funding for the preservation, restoration, and continued maintenance on historic buildings and structures.

LONGMEADOW

Foodbeats Corp., 63 Churchill Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Sharon Cohen, same.

MONSON

JP Roof Coatings Inc., 52 Ayers Road, Monson, MA 01057. Justin Pelissier, same. Contractor specializing in roof coatings.

NORTHAMPTON

Friends of the Recreation Committee Inc., 90 Locust St., Northampton, MA 01060. Greg Howard MR., 706 Park Hill Road, Florence, MA 01062.

Healthy Food Box Inc., 351 Pleasant St., Suite B-109, Northampton, MA 01060. Elizabeth Monaghan, 40 Holly Circle, Easthampton, MA 01027. Online retail sales of healthy-food boxes.

PITTSFIELD

Imperial Coach Inc., 703 West Housatonic St., #220 Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jin Wang, 2525 Maxwell St., Philadelphia, PA 19152. Transportation/ticket sales agents.

SOUTH DEERFIELD

High Ridge Books Inc. 120 North St., South Deerfield, MA 01373-1008. Frederick Baron, 129 North St., South Deerfield, MA 01379-1008. Purchase and sales of rare books and maps.

Jing Yun Inc., 45-B South Main St., South Deerfield, MA 01373. Xin Quan Pan, same. Take-out restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD

Faith Recovery in Action, 280 Bridge St., Springfield, MA 01103. Robin King, same.

Family G & K Inc., 29 Locust St., Apt. 2B, Springfield, MA 01108. Wendy Villala, same. Transportation services.

Family Over Everything Auto Club Inc., 50 Bay Meadow St., Springfield, MA 01109. Emmanuel Sanchez, same. Jomary Robles, same. Non-profit activities such as fund-raising for all types medical research and awareness, as well as going out to the community to raise awareness of violence and drugs, and guiding our youth toward a positive path.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Jrn Transport Inc. 65 Mercury Ct, Apt 2L, West Springfield, MA 01089. Trucking company.

WESTFIELD

Exkluiv Transport Inc., 45 Meadow St., Westfield, MA 01085. Artem Martynyuk, 148 Telegraph Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020. Transportation services.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Greylock Independent Inc., 377 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01247. J. Alexander Brooks, 267 Gale Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Publishing services.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of August 2014.

AGAWAM

A Way of Life Massage
667 Springfield St.
Gina Carosello

AK Installation
33 Perry Lane
Andrey Kaletin

Blush Salon
1325 Springfield St.
Erin Torte

MRG Home Inspections
55 Emerson Road
Marc Guillemette

Traffic Light
67 Springfield St.
Helen Chui

CHICOPEE

Dec-Valde Cleaning Services
222 Hampden St.
Rey D. Marrero

PB & Jam Design
196 Fletcher Dr.
Robert Perry

R.K. Building & Remodeling
16 Upton St.
Richard Kusyk

TDC Enterprises
181 Theroux Dr.
Tyron Cline

Unique Property Services
50 Linden St.
Albert Boudin

GREENFIELD

Beijing House
45 Main St.
Min L. Lu

Bill Sheckels Furniture
71 Madison Circle
William Sheckels

Blue Moon Healing Center
11 Plum Tree Lane
Jean Conway

Conquest of Greenfield
26 Clark St.
John Lamoreux

Hair Therapy
40 School St.
Madeline Maxame

Pretty Nail
209 Main St.
Chris Newsome

Yasou Electrolysis & Skin Care
224 Federal St.
Sophia Koblinski

Your Wellness Expert
50 Lincoln St.
Margaret Luther

PALMER

ABC Pool Supply
248 Ware St.
Mark Kirk

DeSousa Trucking
97 Water St.
Ray DeSousa

Specialty Timber Harvesters
61 Beech St.
Cole Scott

SPRINGFIELD

Phenomenal Looks
680 Sumner Ave.
Ysabel Santana

Preferred Domestics Clean
70 Shumway St.
Gloria J. Durant

Sabor Penticostal
2 Chestnut St.
Sasha L. Ramos

Santiago Towing
193 Taylor St.
Jose Santiago

Springer’s Oil, LLC
40 Wisteria St.
Samuel S. Springer

Springfield’s Finest
427 State St.
Angel L. Castillo

Sunshine Cleaning
49 Andrew St.
Latoya Smith

Tazmania Gym Boxing
279 Mill St.
Juan Melendez

Teresa Mama’s
137 State St.
Teresa A. Williams

The Tasty Tomato
147 Magnolia Terrace
Michelle Deni

Therapeutic Massage Therapy
59 Wexford St.
Beth A. Morin

Tufts Insurance Company
1441 Main St.
Tufts Insurance Company

Varady & Associates
50 Dutchess St.
Robert S. Varady

Vemma413
63 Connecticut Ave.
Brandon Henry

Well Done Maid Services
22 Eldridge St.
Jalin Mobley

Western Mass Cars
95 Laconia St.
Kevin J. Conway

Wilma Pruitt
49 Margerie St.
Wilma Pruitt

World Concrete Contract
1655 Main St.
Daniel Rodriguez

WESTFIELD

Apex Dent Repair
72 Kane Brothers Circle
Thomas R. Cutler

Diamond Back Band
166 King St.
Jeffrey G. Alamed

Gibson’s Equine Farrier Service
37 Forest Glen Road
Shaun Gibson

Fit 4 Mom of Greater Springfield
32 St. James Ave.
Claire Lebeau

J. Baker Landscaping
25 Eastview St.
Jeffrey Baker

Johnson’s Painting Services
65 Massey St.
Kenneth W. Johnson

Minderol Labs
44 Plantation Circle
Doug D. Buckley

Okna Window Cleaning & More
85 Falley Dr.
Jason B. Niezajko

Sweet White Peony
27 Summit Dr.
Liuba Paladi

Zayas Tax Works
8 Raymond Circle
Orlando Zayas

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Allen, Barbara Jean
Allen, Vergial Ross
419 East River St., #1001
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Bedinotti, Riccardo L.
P.O. Box 5682
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Callands, Mary A.
626 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/15/14

Canedy, Russell Rene
796 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/14

Carpenter, Thomas L.
Carpenter, Ann F.
10 Dana Hill Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Collins, Christine M.
900 Pleasant St., Apt #1
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Cummings, James F.
Cummings, Barbara A.
99 Willowbrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Daigle, Sammy
45 Faywood Ave., Apt. 1
Boston, MA 02128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/14

Dolma, Lobsang
47 Brierwood Dr.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/14

Dorobisz, Dorothy B.
86 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/05/14

Faulconer, Steven J.
43 Reed St., Apt. 2
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/14

Frenier, Todd Thomas
PO Box 605
Goshen, MA 01032
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Gause, Kimberly
28 Hobson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Gearl, Michael J.
Gearl, Brenda H.
724 Silverlake St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/03/14

Godlew, Timothy P.
7 Pomeroy St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/14/14

Greenwood, Thomas E.
228 Main St.
Williamstown, MA 01267
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/14

Guilmet, Andre L.
Guilmet, Suzette M.
764 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/14

Hanson, Susan M.
62 Euclid Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Johnson, Donna E.
P.O. Box 1380
Sandwich, MA 02563
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/05/14

Kincade, Mark Ryan
PO Box 1556
Northampton, MA 01061
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/14

King, Christopher
15 Coronet Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Lamson And Goodnow Manufacturing
45 Conway St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 08/15/14

Lamson And Goodnow Retail
45 Conway St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 08/15/14

Lamson and Goodnow, LLC
45 Conway St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 08/15/14

Leblanc, Philip E.
PO Box 693
Westfield, MA 01086-0693
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/01/14

Liptak, Kelly A.
a/k/a Strycharz, Kelly A.
1 1/2 Allen Ave., Apt. B
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Locke, Richard H.
160 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/15/14

McCarthy, Michael P.
McCarthy, Jenifer M.
182 Fairview Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Mulcahy, Darrel M.
238 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/14

Oquendo, Myrna
a/k/a Berrios, Myrna M.
293 Tyler St.
Sringfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Ortiz-Ortega, Ada
311 Tokeneke Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/14

Ramos, Wenda E.
PO Box 1526
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/06/14

Riel, Michael L.
Riel, Sue L.
105 Shepard Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/14

Rivard, Linda Gladys
198 Wilbraham Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/14

Roach, Patricia A.
262 Little Alum Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/14

Salazar, Maria Y.
110-112 Tyler St. #1
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/14

Santiago, Carmen E.
73 Lyman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/03/14

Shambala Treasures
Kunsang, Tsultrem
47 Brierwood Dr.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/14

Shanley, Peter D.
Shanley, Mary Anne C.
239 Oblong Road
Williamstown, MA 01267
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/14

Sherwood, Adam
68 Bracewell Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/14

Smith, Richard A.
121 Dorchester Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/14

Stenberg, Jeffrey A.
55 Pleasant St., Unit
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/08/14

Sullivan, Michael A.
77 Hall Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/14

Sutter, James A.
Sutter, Rebecca A.
a/k/a Gamache, Rebecca A.
30 Fairfield Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/14

Tracy, Renee
315 Acadia Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/14

Williams, Tyrone T.
319 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/14

Yeskie, Kathy A.
116 Oak St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/14

Real Estate Transactions

Departments Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

610 Smith Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $135,200
Buyer: Jon S. Redmond
Seller: Ann M. Powers
Date: 08/08/14

BUCKLAND

9 Martin Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $203,200
Buyer: Roger J. Purington
Seller: Brian A. Willis
Date: 07/31/14

15 Walker Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $196,200
Buyer: Richard B. Mosher
Seller: Donna Heussler
Date: 07/31/14

CHARLEMONT

Mountain Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Beth Taylor
Seller: Annie E. Rancourt
Date: 07/28/14

2231 Route 2
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $680,000
Buyer: RAE Properties LLC
Seller: Peter T. Curtis
Date: 08/08/14

COLRAIN

17 Coombs Hill Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Adam W. Phillips
Seller: Jane E. Johnson
Date: 07/31/14

CONWAY

511 Boyden Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $317,000
Buyer: Rebecca Shwartz
Seller: Christopher F. Savidge
Date: 07/31/14

96 Hart Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $457,912
Buyer: Luke N. Meyer
Seller: Luke N. Meyer
Date: 08/04/14

880 Roaring Brook Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Shawn R. Mulcahy
Seller: Nancy T. Winter RET
Date: 07/31/14

DEERFIELD

330 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Hilchey
Seller: Frederick B. Macdonald
Date: 08/01/14

22 Old Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $1,500,000
Buyer: Academy Deerfield
Date: 07/29/14

ERVING

18 Mountain Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Ty A. Bordeaux
Seller: Donald E. Ducharme
Date: 07/28/14

GILL

24 Green Hill Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Laura M. Wiancko
Seller: Mackin, Helen, (Estate)
Date: 08/01/14

19 Riverview Dr.
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Jenna M. Carme
Seller: Jeffrey Kocsis
Date: 07/31/14

GREENFIELD

10 Beacon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop Of Springfield
Date: 07/31/14

128 Bungalow Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Robert H. Haigh
Seller: Gilmore RT
Date: 07/29/14

42 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Thomas D. Murphy
Seller: Margaret Vincent
Date: 08/01/14

748 Country Club Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Edward J. McCarthy
Seller: Robert J. Martin
Date: 07/30/14

29 Davenport Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Karen A. Pleasant
Seller: JLM Builders Inc.
Date: 08/01/14

55 Devens St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Christopher L. Jones
Seller: Helen C. Otte
Date: 07/28/14

14 East Wayland Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Rachel Bergstrom
Seller: Jeffery A. Hardy
Date: 07/30/14

36 Fairview St. East
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Betty L. Sawyer
Seller: Angela S. Hagen
Date: 07/29/14

18 Haywood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jacob W. Ford
Seller: Daniel M. Mahoney
Date: 07/31/14

149 Hope St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Amy J. Yankowski
Seller: Matthew L. Schmookler
Date: 07/30/14

30 Lovers Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Silas Cutler
Seller: Donna L. Macnicol
Date: 08/05/14

17 Mary Potter Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $275,900
Buyer: Steve M. Patenaude
Seller: Laura J. Haggerty
Date: 08/08/14

64 North St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop Of Springfield
Date: 07/31/14

19 Oak Hill Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $237,400
Buyer: Brian A. Willis
Seller: Mary A. Morris
Date: 07/31/14

60 Orchard St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Steven A. Shumway
Seller: Francis D. Kelly
Date: 08/01/14

17 Park Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Brenda E. Jurach
Seller: Hawkins IRT
Date: 07/31/14

189 Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: BRYCAR LLC
Seller: Cosenzi Automotive Realty
Date: 07/29/14

191 Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: BRYCAR LLC
Seller: Cosenzi Automotive Realty
Date: 07/29/14

HAWLEY

92 Middle Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Leslie E. Clark
Seller: Dennis Anderson
Date: 08/08/14

LEVERETT

20 2 Mile Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Michael J. Pistrich
Seller: Albert L. Shane
Date: 07/30/14

MONTAGUE

11 Chester St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Jessica H. Pleasant
Seller: Eugene J. Leveille
Date: 08/06/14

13 Coolidge Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Erin M. Herzig
Seller: Jane A. Kane
Date: 07/28/14

112 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Dennis E. Estabrook
Seller: Brion J. Over
Date: 07/29/14

159 Old Sunderland Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Jane E. Burkhardt
Seller: Albert R. Wills
Date: 08/08/14

98 West Mineral Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Robert H. Rice
Seller: Andrew Carson
Date: 08/05/14

NORTHFIELD

26 Highland Ave.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Deborah H. White
Seller: Christine M. Harris
Date: 08/08/14

12 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Christine M. Harris
Seller: Steven M. Patenaude
Date: 08/08/14

184 Winchester Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Barton
Seller: Ann V. Valentine
Date: 08/01/14

ORANGE

57 Camp Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Sharon T. Paquette
Seller: Shirley A. Demers
Date: 07/29/14

12-14 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $362,000
Buyer: Chen Lin LLC
Seller: Woods, Linda, (Estate)
Date: 07/31/14

24 Johnson Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Hometown Bank
Seller: Elaine M. Bessette
Date: 07/30/14

284 North Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $286,966
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Fred A. Denne
Date: 08/01/14

36 Robin Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Eric R. McAllister
Seller: Molly G. Lyman
Date: 08/08/14

159 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $136,785
Buyer: Athol Credit Union
Seller: Lewis P. Beaulier
Date: 08/07/14

30 Whitney St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Wayne Whitmore
Seller: Orange Post 172 American Legion
Date: 08/01/14

SHUTESBURY

14 Great Pines Dr.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Catherine J. Oprava
Seller: Elizabeth M. Goodwin
Date: 08/08/14

12 Lake Dr.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $308,500
Buyer: Donna L. Macnicol
Seller: Hsu Tung Ku
Date: 07/29/14

542 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Aaron J. Kater
Seller: John H. Dawson
Date: 07/29/14

SUNDERLAND

503 Hadley Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Seller: Carol F. Ryan
Date: 07/29/14

158 North Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Martha E. Lorantos
Seller: Edward J. Golden
Date: 08/06/14

162 North Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $220,400
Buyer: Amy Beth
Seller: Martha E. Lorantos
Date: 08/06/14

254 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ellen Carroll-McLane
Seller: John F. Hassay
Date: 07/30/14

64 South Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $213,500
Buyer: Dennis G. Bastarche
Seller: Katelynn A. Keir
Date: 08/04/14

WENDELL

215 Lockes Village Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $189,500
Buyer: George Louro
Seller: Adam W. Stubbins
Date: 08/06/14

11 Stone Cut Off Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jessalyn L. Zaykoski
Seller: Jonathan Janes
Date: 08/06/14

3 Wren Gould Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $172,817
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Linda F. Gillis
Date: 07/30/14

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

23 Albert St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Armand S. Berthiaume
Seller: Richard F. Champagne
Date: 08/01/14

519 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Siarhei Siarheyev
Seller: Vadim Kot
Date: 07/28/14

45 Cricket Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Moriarty
Seller: Richard P. Isom
Date: 08/05/14

44 Deering St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Alyssa Soriano
Seller: Igor Tatarchuk
Date: 07/31/14

38 Fairview St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Russell G. Nash
Seller: E. S. Damon
Date: 08/05/14

45 Farmington Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Kathleen Stagnaro TR
Seller: Hillside Development Corp.
Date: 08/08/14

94 Lealand Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Michael F. Sullivan
Seller: Christopher J. Moriarty
Date: 08/05/14

1095 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Albert G. Aldrich
Seller: Samantha M. Link
Date: 07/31/14

336-344 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $841,000
Buyer: Ashakrishna LLC
Seller: K Brothers LLC
Date: 07/31/14

41 Provin Mountain Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Mary C. Champagne
Seller: George C. Leon
Date: 08/01/14

1023 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $135,500
Buyer: Michael D. Moran
Seller: Randall W. Schott
Date: 07/28/14

144 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Yekaterina Vilkhovoy
Seller: Sergey Polevoy
Date: 07/30/14

416 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Michael Roy
Seller: Lisa Milotte
Date: 07/31/14

BRIMFIELD

110 Lyman Barnes Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Jason F. Czech
Seller: Allison Zak
Date: 08/08/14

27 Prospect Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $432,000
Buyer: Rick T. Zak
Seller: Thomas R. Clay
Date: 08/08/14

304 Warren Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $720,000
Buyer: Herbie F. Bohnet
Seller: Paul M. Opalinski
Date: 08/08/14

CHICOPEE

14 Baril Lane
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Cesar A. Lopez
Seller: Thomas C. Grandfield
Date: 07/30/14

98 Basil Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Mac Crespo
Seller: Jonathan J. Haluch
Date: 08/08/14

38 Bonner St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Namig Mamedov
Seller: Nataliya V. Pugach
Date: 08/08/14

120 Boucher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Jeffery A. Lovell
Seller: Hooper, Dorothy M., (Estate)
Date: 08/01/14

152 Center St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Hann Realty LLC
Seller: MJP Realty LLC
Date: 07/31/14

80 Deroy Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Tina L. Malave
Seller: Richard K. Morse
Date: 07/30/14

37 Devlin Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $266,483
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC
Seller: Dianne Baribeault
Date: 08/08/14

81 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ronald T. Cierpial
Seller: Roberta C. Smith
Date: 07/31/14

104 Fairway Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $341,000
Buyer: David I. Dossantos
Seller: Neil A. Robb
Date: 08/08/14

45 Fletcher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Christopher G. Malooly
Seller: James L. Lariviere
Date: 07/31/14

46 Greenwich St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Louis F. Rosario
Seller: Alan B. Czerniak
Date: 07/31/14

65 Marble Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Richard A. Jones
Seller: George R. Innes
Date: 08/08/14

10 Marguerite St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Jason R. Cienciwa
Seller: Lillian T. Sheehan
Date: 08/08/14

903 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Carlos R. Barbosa
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 07/29/14

94 Mount Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $143,500
Buyer: Trevor D. Czepiel
Seller: Richard W. Rattell
Date: 07/31/14

89 Northwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $163,900
Buyer: Kathleen A. Gagnon
Seller: David Dossantos
Date: 08/08/14

104 Olko Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Yi L. Guo
Seller: Joseph M. Proulx
Date: 08/01/14

120 Poplar St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Jose F. Monroy
Seller: Jodi M. Craven
Date: 08/05/14

330 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Alanna M. Lunden
Seller: Diane C. Lombardino
Date: 07/29/14

116 Sunflower Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Rachel E. Vadnais
Seller: Steven P. Hebert
Date: 07/31/14

157 Trilby Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $162,400
Buyer: Robert J. King
Seller: Roger P. Helie
Date: 08/05/14

42 Van Horn St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Sean P. Collins
Seller: Miodonka, Evelyn, (Estate)
Date: 07/30/14

78 Willwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Anatoliy Sosnin
Seller: Theresa E. Rondeau
Date: 07/28/14

69 Yvette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Esmilda Camacho
Seller: David C. Labrie
Date: 07/28/14

EAST LONGMEADOW

11 Anne St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Ann M. Urban
Seller: Juli K. Ireland
Date: 08/04/14

14 Bent Tree Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Kaymar Rahmani-Kia
Seller: Carla L. Hoffman
Date: 08/01/14

195 Braeburn Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Joseph E. Godard
Seller: Ronald A. Mattson
Date: 07/28/14

5 Crestview Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $498,000
Buyer: Robb
Seller: Louis A. Aveyard
Date: 08/08/14

109 East Circle Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Barry W. Ross
Seller: Peter Zinger
Date: 08/01/14

326 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Jameson R. Williams
Seller: Michele Miranda
Date: 07/29/14

386 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Felix Feliciano
Seller: Kevin J. Czaplicki
Date: 07/31/14

94 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Erika L. Martinez
Seller: Beverly J. Wing
Date: 08/01/14

8 Indiana St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Joseph W. Heney
Seller: Robert E. Tirrell
Date: 07/30/14

45 Industrial Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,850,000
Buyer: O’Leary Vincunas LLC
Seller: BSSD Realty LLC
Date: 07/30/14

264 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Keith M. Ireland
Seller: Mieczyslaw J. Stachowicz
Date: 08/05/14

860 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Melissa K. Turmel
Seller: Kenneth A. Alexander
Date: 08/06/14

3 Sturbridge Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $369,550
Buyer: Jorge M. Morgado
Seller: Robert Thomas Construction LLC
Date: 08/08/14

GRANVILLE

321 Granby Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Nathaniel O. Woodger
Seller: Thomas B. Woodger

692 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Ellen F. Furman
Seller: Baldis & Frank Inc.
Date: 08/07/14

HAMPDEN

19 Circleview Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Emmanuel C. Adames
Seller: Richard P. Ballou
Date: 07/28/14

6 Pinewood Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Fresh Pinewood LLC
Seller: Frederick S. Tuttle
Date: 08/05/14

7 Steiger Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Barbara A. Dunne
Seller: Rene V. Herbert
Date: 07/30/14

23 Valleyview Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jonathan P. Kielbania
Seller: Michael J. Vachon
Date: 07/30/14

HOLLAND

168 Stafford Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Joel Wilson
Seller: Ann L. Beane
Date: 07/31/14

HOLYOKE

138 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: William U. Ramirez
Seller: William Ramirez
Date: 08/01/14

16 Cherry Hill
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Shane D. Harrington
Seller: Eleanor B. Macdonald
Date: 07/31/14

103 County Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Nathan B. Aube
Seller: William L. McCreary
Date: 08/01/14

56 Jefferson St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: David W. Scruggs
Seller: Willilam B. McDonough
Date: 07/31/14

77-79 Pearl St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Robert E. Olmstead
Seller: Enola K. Nelson
Date: 08/01/14

16 Sylvia Lane
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Mary A. Carrasquillo
Seller: Catherine M. Fleming
Date: 08/08/14

LONGMEADOW

134 Ashford Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $1,050,000
Buyer: Russell J. Dupere
Seller: Michael Muratore
Date: 07/31/14

119 Belleclaire Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Brian D. Osborne
Seller: James V. Barilaro
Date: 08/01/14

329 Bliss Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Michele R. Miranda
Seller: Michael C. Calvanese
Date: 07/31/14

14 Brooks Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Patrick P. Dippel
Seller: Bruce Winer
Date: 08/07/14

82 Canterbury Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Craig T. Shapiro
Seller: Robert J. Langone
Date: 07/31/14

53 Dunsany Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $279,500
Buyer: Peter A. Santos
Seller: J. L. Muratore-Pallatino
Date: 07/31/14

105 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: I Buysellhomes LLC
Seller: Ryan M. Hollister
Date: 08/01/14

35 Green Willow Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $576,000
Buyer: Srinivasa B. Gutta
Seller: Kevin P. Asher
Date: 08/01/14

26 Lees Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Patrick D. Malloy
Seller: George M. Schmeck
Date: 07/30/14

797 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Clifford G. Scott
Seller: Peter A. Santos
Date: 07/31/14

812 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Sequoia Props Realty LLC
Seller: Haddad, Helen M., (Estate)
Date: 08/06/14

6 Meadow Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: John Lanucha
Seller: Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC
Date: 08/06/14

175 Pleasantview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Robert Aldrich
Seller: Emily A. Osborne
Date: 08/01/14

260 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Louise R. Lamountain
Seller: Eric Shapiro
Date: 08/06/14

LUDLOW

1582 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: James D. Coley
Seller: Gary C. Butler
Date: 08/01/14

113 Colonial Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Wieslaw Krol
Seller: Pamela J. Cronin
Date: 08/01/14

85 Coolidge Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Paul J. Sagan
Seller: Michael T. Peritore
Date: 07/29/14

71 Fairview St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Zelia Mendes
Seller: Mark A. Augusto
Date: 07/31/14

84 Grimard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jane E. Costa
Seller: Maryann Scyocurka
Date: 08/05/14

Mountainview St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Kara Ribeiro
Seller: Melanie L. Sagan
Date: 07/29/14

278 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Nuno Cadete
Seller: Isidoro P. Fernandes
Date: 07/31/14

72 Stivens Terrace
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Craig Crowther
Seller: Wendy Newlands
Date: 07/28/14

59 Windwood Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $354,500
Buyer: Isidoro P. Fernandes
Seller: Victor Rodrigues
Date: 08/05/14

MONSON

45 Bogan Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Russell A. Hedges
Seller: Roberta A. Bessette
Date: 08/07/14

15 Circle Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Mark R. Hamel
Seller: Nazih Zebian
Date: 07/30/14

30 Country Club Heights
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Christian J. Young
Seller: Donald B. Damario
Date: 07/30/14

35 Crest Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Victor T. Muller
Seller: Christian J. Young
Date: 07/30/14

56 Ely Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Joseph S. Bolduc
Seller: Roland W. Cardin
Date: 08/08/14

118 Moulton Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Robert E. Ledoux
Seller: Patricia A. Muscaro
Date: 08/04/14

207 Moulton Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Benjamin C. Maiorano
Seller: Nancy A. Hurlburt
Date: 08/08/14

50 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: John H. Courtney
Seller: Marilyn Z. Duffy
Date: 07/31/14

PALMER

192 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Jessica C. Carroll
Seller: Daniel P. King
Date: 08/08/14

23 East Palmer Park Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $140,500
Buyer: Frederick Lafortune
Seller: Nahabedian, Dennis P., (Estate)
Date: 08/01/14

92 Longview St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Christian T. Leissner
Seller: Harry E. Murphy
Date: 07/30/14

1064 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Sligo Realty Co. LLC
Seller: SUK RT
Date: 08/01/14

71-73 Summer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Alina R. Doble
Seller: Gene C. Majka
Date: 07/31/14

1139 Thorndike St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $543,000
Buyer: Sunshine Apartments Inc.
Seller: Robert V. Rapisarda
Date: 08/01/14

RUSSELL

100 Ridgewood Dr.
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Patrick Lamora
Seller: Joseph W. Boisseau
Date: 07/31/14

SPRINGFIELD

121 Aldrew Terrace
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Robert L. Rand
Seller: Linda Rodrigues
Date: 07/30/14

74-76 Appleton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Nanette Figueroa
Seller: Joy Reid
Date: 08/08/14

91 Ardmore St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Sandra E. Martinez
Seller: Dimas Cotto
Date: 08/06/14

46 Atwater Terrace
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Heriberto Flores
Seller: George A. Pelletier
Date: 07/31/14

48 Bevier St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Kevin R. O’Brien
Seller: Bernard Berard
Date: 08/07/14

901 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $1,386,496
Buyer: GHI Ventures LLC
Seller: GP Springfield MA Landlord
Date: 08/07/14

77 Boylston St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Freedom Credit Union
Seller: Pearsonblue Development Co.
Date: 07/31/14

91 Briggs St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Erwin O. Greene
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 07/28/14

49 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Kristin L. Dominique
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 08/01/14

College St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $2,260,000
Buyer: BH Kenyon LLC
Seller: Kenyon College Association
Date: 07/31/14

308 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Michael L. Artioli
Seller: Consuelo G. Bylow
Date: 07/28/14

253 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Alfredo Vega
Seller: Elizabeth P. Sullivan
Date: 08/01/14

137 Emerald Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Sarah C. Smith
Seller: Alex B. Sales
Date: 07/30/14

6 Fayette St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $218,685
Buyer: Crystal L. Reid
Seller: Nu Way Homes Inc.
Date: 08/08/14

166 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Jasmin Carrasquillo
Seller: Karen S. Lucas
Date: 07/28/14

249 Garnet St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC
Seller: Kenneth Fitzgibbon
Date: 08/08/14

302 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Carmela Albano
Seller: JV Properties Inc.
Date: 08/06/14

29 Howard St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $1,600,000
Buyer: Blue Tarp Redevelopment LLC
Seller: City Of Springfield
Date: 07/31/14

59 Howard St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $1,600,000
Buyer: Blue Tarp Redevelopment LLC
Seller: City Of Springfield
Date: 07/31/14

29 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: Wang Z. Hua
Seller: Mark D. Mason
Date: 08/05/14

Kenyon St. (ES)
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $2,260,000
Buyer: BH Kenyon LLC
Seller: Kenyon College Association
Date: 07/31/14

1623 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $9,000,000
Buyer: 15 Taylor LLC
Seller: US Bank
Date: 07/28/14

80 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $136,750
Buyer: Crystal D. Magill
Seller: Jessica A. Orcutt
Date: 07/30/14

173 Massachusetts Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,979
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Ronald Dorleans
Date: 07/31/14

212 Mazarin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Vadim Gumenyuk
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 07/31/14

90 Mooreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $124,400
Buyer: Emely Figueroa
Seller: JD Ents. Property Management
Date: 07/30/14

140 Nagle St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $243,317
Buyer: TD Bank
Seller: Keith A. Harrington
Date: 07/30/14

181 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Chad M. Bassett
Seller: Mike A. Rivera
Date: 07/30/14

230-232 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Boardwalk Apartments LLC
Seller: J. B. Camerlin RE
Date: 08/01/14

15 Overhill Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: David C. O’Neill
Seller: TJM Properties LLC
Date: 08/08/14

32 Palo Alto Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Shaun H. Carpenter
Seller: Jason M. Boudreau
Date: 07/30/14

343-345 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Old Sudbury Realty LLC
Seller: Daniel Tebaldi
Date: 08/06/14

82 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Weiping Zeng
Seller: Stephen M. Lynch
Date: 08/04/14

126 Pinecrest Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Pedro L. Velazquez
Seller: Robert V. Ackerman
Date: 07/29/14

1570 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jovanna A. Gomez
Seller: FHLM
Date: 08/08/14

75 Prouty St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Lorenzo M. Hall
Seller: Eric Clark
Date: 08/04/14

18 Rittenhouse Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $166,500
Buyer: Ellen L. Fotino
Seller: Kathleen L. Baker
Date: 08/01/14

32-34 Shattuck St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $2,260,000
Buyer: BH Kenyon LLC
Seller: Kenyon College Association
Date: 07/31/14

17 Sherwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Pamela A. Greaney
Seller: Melissa Loureiro
Date: 07/31/14

83 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $140,666
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Scott B. Kier
Date: 07/31/14

80 Wheeler Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Joshua Ortas
Seller: Jonathan Damours
Date: 07/31/14

SOUTHWICK

20 Babb Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Christopher D. Harris
Seller: Joseph P. Brennan
Date: 07/29/14

62 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Marshall S. Harris
Seller: Mark D. Anderson
Date: 08/04/14

63 Hastings Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Glennice Flynn
Seller: Jean Lamoureaux
Date: 07/28/14

TOLLAND

154 Brook Lane
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Albert P. Lenge
Seller: William H. Brennan
Date: 08/01/14

28 Otter Pond Trail
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Kimberly A. Galgano
Seller: William N. Ale
Date: 08/08/14

WALES

22 Lynch Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Parker
Seller: Teresa M. Smart
Date: 07/31/14

17 Main St.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $221,500
Buyer: Mark P. Gelinas
Seller: Christopher B. Albrecht
Date: 08/01/14

WESTFIELD

9 Brenda Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Samatha L. Whalen
Seller: Jeremy Ryser
Date: 08/08/14

5 Crane Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Dansereau
Seller: Christopher R. Carr
Date: 08/06/14

86 Dana St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Timothy L. Voudren
Seller: Lesley A. Phipps
Date: 08/07/14

7 Harrison Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $181,500
Buyer: Christopher Lusignan
Seller: Robert C. Cote
Date: 07/31/14

86 Hillside Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Michael J. Robienczak
Seller: Jennifer S. Crawford
Date: 08/08/14

98 Old Stage Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: William F. Barry
Seller: Nadeau, Jacqueline G., (Estate)
Date: 08/01/14

71 Putnam Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Bara
Seller: Richard H. Meader
Date: 07/28/14

88 Riverside Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Steven C. Scibelli
Seller: Donald L. Provo
Date: 08/07/14

158 Roosevelt Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Mariana L. Albert
Seller: Richard J. Gogal
Date: 07/31/14

33 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Peter Strniste
Seller: Carlos E. Iglesias
Date: 07/29/14

27 Sterling St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Rachel E. Curry
Seller: Anne E. Norton-Graffum
Date: 07/30/14

88 Woodmont St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $212,839
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Joshua M. Graveline
Date: 07/30/14

WILBRAHAM

10 Bradlind Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $149,290
Buyer: Candis A. Rose
Seller: Auzemda Rodrigues
Date: 07/31/14

18 Briar Cliff Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $488,250
Buyer: Scott J. Vasta
Seller: Leonard Viscito
Date: 08/01/14

5 Brookmont Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: V. L. Collins-English
Seller: Edward C. Hough
Date: 08/01/14

9 Carla Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $387,500
Buyer: Robert J. Shanley
Seller: AC Homebuilding LLC
Date: 08/08/14

18 Linwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Jessica A. Orcutt
Seller: Anne E. Peplinski
Date: 07/30/14

510 Monson Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $354,000
Buyer: Michael A. Daniele
Seller: David R. Streeter
Date: 08/08/14

13 Peak Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Kevin Hinkamper
Seller: Edwin A. Whitman
Date: 08/01/14

3 Poplar Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Nathan E. Dolley
Seller: Wei J. Zheng
Date: 08/01/14

274 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jason D. Christofori
Seller: Seper Hedayat-Zadeh
Date: 07/29/14

10-1/2 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $404,000
Buyer: Sharmaine Barone
Seller: Michael L. O’Rourke
Date: 08/08/14

4 White St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Partners LLC
Seller: Antonio Patullo
Date: 07/29/14

12 Winterberry Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $431,000
Buyer: David R. Streeter
Seller: Sterling A. Orr
Date: 08/08/14

WEST SPRINGFIELD

51 Althea St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Beaulieu
Seller: Michael P. Douthwright
Date: 07/31/14

18 Belmont Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $146,200
Buyer: MHFA
Seller: Scott D. Primack
Date: 08/06/14

112 Buckingham Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Jeremy Page
Seller: William R. McCarthy
Date: 08/08/14

64-66 Elmdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: DJJ Investments LLC
Seller: John C. Cleveland
Date: 07/31/14

74 Forris St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anne E. Davidson
Seller: Barbara A. Aldrich
Date: 07/31/14

43 Granger Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Jeanna M. Misischia
Seller: Richard C. Langevin
Date: 07/31/14

253 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Bruce M. Ruth
Seller: Matthew J. Beaulieu
Date: 07/31/14

60 Lower Beverly Hills
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $258,500
Buyer: Heather M. McCarthy
Seller: Brian J. Rachmaciej
Date: 08/08/14

20 Penrose Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Kathleen L. Baker
Seller: Tracy M. Smith
Date: 08/01/14

157 Quarry Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $402,500
Buyer: Paul M. Bonavita
Seller: Carroll Ahearn-King
Date: 08/01/14

42 Salem St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Zaleski
Seller: Frederick Lafortune
Date: 07/31/14

12 South Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $488,000
Buyer: JNM Realty LLC
Seller: G Cross LLC
Date: 08/01/14

21 Sweetfern Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Lawrence Walsh
Seller: Lauran Thompson
Date: 08/08/14

36 Valley View Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Jaime L. Flores
Seller: Lawrence J. Walsh
Date: 08/08/14

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

40 Applewood Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Michael D. Ringler
Seller: Curt Tausky
Date: 07/31/14

100 Aubinwood Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Joseph F. Bergan
Seller: Roland J. Chilton
Date: 08/05/14

131 Aubinwood Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Michael J. Beganny
Seller: Gary C. Fisher
Date: 08/05/14

389 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: John R. Brown
Seller: Br RT
Date: 07/30/14

66 Concord Way
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: Gabriela C. Weaver
Seller: Kohl Construction Inc.
Date: 07/31/14

874 East Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Rosenberg
Seller: Suzanne R. Coffey
Date: 08/06/14

21 Kendrick Place
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Ian J. Walsh
Seller: George R. Scialoia
Date: 07/31/14

24 Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $394,000
Buyer: Theresa J. Almeida
Seller: Michael Macdonald
Date: 08/04/14

42 Shumway St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jesse C. Tzeng
Seller: KH Amherst PE LLC
Date: 07/29/14

226 Shutesbury Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $319,000
Buyer: Karen R. Merrill
Seller: Mary Matthews
Date: 07/30/14

267 Shutesbury Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Peter & Jihee Huh FT
Seller: Steven E. Weisler
Date: 08/08/14

16-18 Sunrise Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Rocky Hill Road Partners
Seller: Philip G. Allen
Date: 07/31/14

104 Tracy Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Elizabeth Weinman
Seller: Richard M. Gale
Date: 08/01/14

36 Tracy Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Rojeena Neupane
Seller: Regina M. Kaufmann
Date: 07/31/14

35 Trillium Way
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon
Seller: J. A. Burton
Date: 08/01/14

19 Willow Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,700
Buyer: Jingjing Wu
Seller: Madeleine K. Jaeger
Date: 07/30/14

BELCHERTOWN

35 Alden Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $343,500
Buyer: Jonathan J. Haluch
Seller: Connie M. Lecours
Date: 08/08/14

84 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Michael D. Desmith
Seller: PNC Bank NA
Date: 07/31/14

12 Daniel Square Ext
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Diana L. Zahradnik
Seller: James E. McDonald
Date: 08/08/14

124 Gold St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Jeremy S. Redmond
Seller: Cynthia J. Hardaker
Date: 07/30/14

464 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $221,500
Buyer: Robert C. Cote
Seller: John A. Muscaro
Date: 07/31/14

18 Oakridge Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Walker
Seller: Gabriel A. Faria
Date: 07/28/14

21 Oakwood Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Buyer: Michael T. Carney
Seller: Robert J. Henrichon
Date: 08/06/14

54 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Theresa Breguet
Seller: Louise K. Weeks
Date: 08/05/14

164 Sheffield Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: John A. Muscaro
Seller: Kevin P. Morris
Date: 07/31/14

601 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Nesteby
Seller: Darleyne M. Smith
Date: 08/06/14

8 Tucker Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Joanne P. Whelan
Seller: James V. Tucker
Date: 08/01/14

9 Tucker Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Craig D. Moore
Seller: Mary C. Cannon
Date: 08/06/14

185 Ware Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Gary A. Czupkiewicz
Seller: Richard A. Markum
Date: 08/07/14

EASTHAMPTON

8 Button Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Tina H. Ryman
Seller: Sharon L. Kimble
Date: 08/01/14

40 Carillon Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $359,500
Buyer: Andrew C. Keller
Seller: Randy K. Bradbury
Date: 08/05/14

24 Chapman Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Denise A. Karuth
Seller: FHLM
Date: 07/30/14

22-24 Dartmouth St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Colby E. Quinn
Seller: Fisher Easthampton IRT
Date: 08/04/14

16 Droy Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Shannon R. Clegg
Seller: Mark R. Whitman
Date: 08/06/14

61-63 Garfield Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Rainbow Properties LLC
Seller: Leslie R. Lewis
Date: 07/31/14

14-1/2 Gaugh St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Stephanie Kvam
Seller: Robert A. Gutermuth
Date: 07/30/14

303 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Mombourquette
Seller: Christina A. Marie
Date: 07/31/14

45-47 Maple St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Bryan J. Emond
Seller: Mae L. McLaughlin
Date: 07/31/14

8 Monska Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Arthur K. Smith
Seller: Kenneth P. Bachand
Date: 07/29/14

32 Oliver St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: David P. Sansouci
Seller: Kimberly B. Graham
Date: 07/30/14

8 Paul St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Robert J. Boyer
Seller: Doreen M. Boyer
Date: 07/31/14

17 Pinebrook Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $243,900
Buyer: Sharon L. Kimble
Seller: Jessica A. Lucia
Date: 08/01/14

15 Pomeroy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $121,198
Buyer: Richard W. Venne
Seller: Marhefka, Cheryl A., (Estate)
Date: 07/30/14

9 South Hampshire St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Leah Krieger
Seller: David P. Sansouci
Date: 07/30/14

2 Truehart Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Gary C. Fisher
Seller: Robert P. Skribiski
Date: 08/05/14

8-10 Water Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Brian M. Jarrett
Seller: Normand R. Houle
Date: 08/01/14

GRANBY

121 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Lena L. Hellstrom
Seller: Peter A. Nelson
Date: 08/07/14

92 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: William J. Sullivan
Seller: Jeffrey M. Picard
Date: 08/07/14

5 Lynn Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Mary J. Seid
Seller: Tamara Balis
Date: 07/28/14

105 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Erin Garden
Seller: Carol A. Bogdanovich
Date: 07/30/14

203 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Timothy D. Dali
Seller: Earleen M. Kenyon
Date: 08/08/14

HADLEY

5 Indian Pipe Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $755,000
Buyer: Kevin Weinman
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 07/30/14

Mount Warner Road (off)
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Roger W. Clapp
Seller: John J. Kershlis
Date: 08/06/14

456 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $202,500
Buyer: New City Properties LLC
Seller: Jennifer E. Clark
Date: 08/08/14

25 Shattuck Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: David M. Bull
Seller: Robert H. Rice
Date: 08/04/14

HATFIELD

27 South St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Edward J. Dupre
Seller: Smiarowski Brothers LLC
Date: 08/08/14

HUNTINGTON

10 Lowell Lane
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $369,000
Buyer: Richard V. Hendricks
Seller: Bruce A. Schulze
Date: 07/29/14

NORTHAMPTON

93 Arch St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $409,000
Buyer: Angela Zimm
Seller: Megan R. O’Brien
Date: 08/01/14

13 Birch Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Matthieu Haenlin
Seller: Eric M. Spangenthal
Date: 07/31/14

399 Burts Pit Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Shane T. St.
Seller: Geraldine A. Poudrier
Date: 07/31/14

1 Corticelli St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: William Phillips
Seller: Michael Hogan
Date: 08/01/14

250 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Robyn L. Nelson
Seller: Jeffrey S. Fulford
Date: 08/01/14

120 Dunphy Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Wall
Seller: Beverley A. Carrigan
Date: 07/30/14

108 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Caroline Burgess
Seller: Emerson Way LLC
Date: 07/30/14

32 Fort Hill Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: James B. Stillwaggon
Seller: Daniel S. Bradbury
Date: 07/31/14

66 Fox Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Frances N. McSherry
Seller: Esther M. Kane
Date: 08/01/14

3 Garfield Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $122,871
Buyer: Kimberly Z. Antequera
Seller: Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity
Date: 07/28/14

32 Gregory Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Norah J. Denley
Seller: Jack M. Missry
Date: 07/30/14

163 Grove St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $230,500
Buyer: Gabriel R. Peeples
Seller: Barbara R. Malouin
Date: 07/31/14

52 Hatfield St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Rachel A. Hale
Seller: William A. Carey
Date: 08/08/14

38 Hubbard Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Emily E. West
Seller: Deirdre Scott
Date: 08/08/14

14 Jackson St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $423,000
Buyer: Kristen M. Kelly
Seller: Nicholas C. Harder
Date: 07/30/14

118 Overlook Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Abigail M. Dolinger
Seller: Hayes, Charles J., (Estate)
Date: 07/28/14

23 Powell St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Herskovitz
Seller: Robert G. Young
Date: 07/31/14

685 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Joseph V. Pesce
Seller: Jaketon H. Hewes
Date: 07/31/14

91 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $240,050
Buyer: Victoria S. McClenahen
Seller: Jason M. Kicza
Date: 08/01/14

98 State St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Jeanne M. Barron
Seller: 98 State Street LLC
Date: 07/30/14

17 Sterling Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $236,250
Buyer: Mary H. Coffey
Seller: Linda C. Rockett
Date: 08/01/14

933 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Stacia W. Potter
Seller: Susan B. Doyle
Date: 07/31/14

85 Winterberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $765,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Rowe
Seller: Walter E. Bak
Date: 07/31/14

SOUTH HADLEY

74 Abbey St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Clark
Seller: Stanley J. Czupryna
Date: 07/31/14

6 Birchwood Place
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Whalen
Seller: Evelyn S. Kervian
Date: 07/31/14

48 Charon Terrace
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $196,500
Buyer: Heather L. Putnam
Seller: Susan A. Breen
Date: 08/08/14

250 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Garrett Postema
Seller: Kelly A. Wentworth
Date: 07/30/14

41 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joshua E. Raskin
Seller: George K. Chrismer
Date: 07/30/14

461 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Gum C. Kang
Seller: Pilgrim 461 NT
Date: 07/29/14

25 Hollywood St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Justin Suarez
Seller: Michael J. Thornton
Date: 08/08/14

2097 Memorial Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Bryan M. Fleury
Seller: James C. Janik
Date: 07/28/14

23 Saybrook Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Andrew Frawley
Seller: Jeremy S. Redmond
Date: 07/30/14

4 Silverwood Ter
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Emily A. Turner
Seller: Tekla F. McInerney
Date: 08/01/14

11 Sycamore Knolls
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: J. B. Magnuson
Seller: Patricia C. Kraske
Date: 08/05/14

103 Woodbridge St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $293,000
Buyer: Kentston D. Bauman
Seller: Eugenia E. Burn
Date: 07/31/14

31 Woodlawn St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $233,500
Buyer: Eric R. Shea
Seller: Anthony Delucco
Date: 07/30/14

SOUTHAMPTON

28 Cook Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: David A. Hardy Contractor
Seller: Richard P. Gwinner
Date: 08/08/14

47 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Brittany D. Gutermuth
Seller: Pauline L. Stoddard
Date: 07/30/14

129 College Highway
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Heather A. Dragon
Seller: Mary S. Kaleta
Date: 07/30/14

144 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Michael P. Rosenburg
Seller: Daniel W. Gaze
Date: 07/31/14

Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: David A. Hardy Contractor
Seller: Richard P. Gwinner
Date: 08/08/14

76 Glendale Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Ashlee R. Galanis
Seller: Richard L. Truehart
Date: 07/31/14

41 Montgomery Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Daniel W. Gaze
Seller: Paul E. Wanegar
Date: 07/30/14

165 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Lorena V. Valente
Seller: Elaine M. Lyman
Date: 08/08/14

79 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $381,000
Buyer: Duane B. Gill
Seller: Lisa F. Hahn
Date: 08/08/14

WARE

135 Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: 118 Main Street Ware LLC
Seller: Evelyn Baird
Date: 08/08/14

94 Pleasant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: Matthew R. Lafleche
Seller: Lcoutier, Yvette, (Estate)
Date: 08/08/14

WESTHAMPTON

39 Hooker Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Arth LLC
Seller: Yolanda M. Rigali
Date: 07/31/14

195 Reservoir Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Lee W. Jodoin
Seller: Michael Trombley
Date: 08/01/14

WILLIAMSBURG

20 Village Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Nicholas C. Harder
Seller: Mustin Williamsburg NT
Date: 07/30/14

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of August 2014.

AMHERST

Co-Ed Realty, LLC
382 North Pleasant St.
$3,000 — Roof repair

CHICOPEE

David Barnard Jr.
660 Broadway St.
$96,000 — Remodel for Papa John’s

Robert Boutin
726-730 Chicopee St.
$31,000 — Strip and re-roof

GREENFIELD

Dimitriy Darmanchev
347 Wells St.
$8,500 — Convert building back to original design

Clinical and Support Options
6 Arch St.
$51,000 — New roof

Franklin County Community Development Corp.
324 Wells St.
$30,000 — Interior renovations

Greenfield Co-Op Bank
63 Federal St.
$5,000 — Replace two windows in drive-up building

Greenfield Health Camp Inc.
Leyden Road
$20,000 — New roof

Kennametal Inc.
34 Sanderson St.
$7,000 — Renovations

Syfeld Greenfield Associates
225-245 Mohawk Trail
$267,000 — New roof

Town of Greenfield
195-197 Federal St.
$8,000 — Construct a 10-by-22-foot roof over an existing walk-in cooler

LUDLOW

Aldor Corporation
70 Kirkland Ave.
$50,000 — Alterations and addition

SPRINGFIELD

Taylor Street R.E., LLC
41 Taylor St.
$550,000 — Fit out of third and fourth floors

Springfield Housing Authority
76-86 Trafton Road
$17,550 — Window replacement at Forest Park Elderly Housing

WESTFIELD

Atwood Drug Inc.
427 North Elm St.
$7,000 — Repair fire wall in attic

Oldon, L.P.
2 Southampton Road
$54,000 — New storefront

Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield
35 Bartlett St.
$76,000 — Construct 15-by-33-foot enclosed entrance on rear of building

Fighting Back