Month: October 2014

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Goodman Vein and Laser Center, located at 66 Morgan Road in West Springfield, has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in vascular testing in the areas of extra-cranial cerebrovascular testing, peripheral venous testing, and peripheral arterial testing by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).

This means practice owner Dr. Robert Goodman has undergone a thorough review of operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards, through a comprehensive application process.

Goodman, who established the first comprehensive vein center in Western Mass. entirely focused on the treatment of vein disease, has been serving the Greater Springfield area for more than 30 years. He is chief of Vascular Surgery at Mercy Medical Center and past co-director of the Mercy Medical Center Wound Care Clinic. He is a board-certified vascular surgeon and received his vascular fellowship training at Baystate Medical Center. He is a member of the Society of Vascular Surgery, the International Society of Vascular Surgery, the New England Society of Vascular Surgery, the International Society of Endovascular Specialists, the American College of Phlebology, and the American Venous Forum.

CHICOPEE — Brian Beauchemin, a technician with Bob Pion Buick GMC, has earned the coveted title of GM World Class Technician. He joins fellow Pion technician Powel Lisek in this elite class.

When asked why he challenged himself to earn this recognition, Beauchemin said, “honestly, for me it was the last piece of the puzzle. This industry is vastly more complex now than when I started, with fewer mechanical applications and more electrical knowledge needed. I want to know as much as possible to take the very best care of my customers.” Beauchemin’s career began at Orr Cadillac in 2000, after he graduated from Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School and at the top of his class in the ASEP Program at Mass Bay Community College.

Bob Pion Buick GMC has been serving the area since 1977. For more information about the company, visit www.pionauto.com.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Homewatch CareGivers announced that it has received the Best of Home Care Award from Home Care Pulse. This award is given only to the top-ranking home-care providers in the country.

“The Best of Home Care Award shows that Homewatch CareGivers has a proven record of excellence in home care,” said Erik Madsen, COO of Home Care Pulse. “This gives families peace of mind when looking for quality home care.”

Added Homewatch owners Peter and Judy Yaffe, “we are very pleased and proud to have received this designation.”

Home Care Pulse, a company that measures client and employee satisfaction, created the award to recognize home-care providers who appreciate their clients’ feedback and are dedicated to providing the highest level of quality, professionalism, and expertise in home care. Home Care Pulse believes that honoring such companies can both educate and assist families to make better care decisions for their aging loved ones.

“The recipients of the Best of Home Care Award have proven their dedication to providing quality home-care services,” said Madsen. “We applaud their achievements and congratulate them on receiving this award.”

To find out more about the Best of Home Care award or Home Care Pulse, visit www.bestofhomecare.com.

WARE — Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, a member of Baystate Health, has again been awarded accreditation by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent on-site inspection. The Laboratory director, Dr. Evrim Erdogan, was advised of this national recognition. Baystate Mary Lane Hospital’s Laboratory joins the more than 7,000 CAP-accredited laboratories nationwide.

The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, which began in the 1960s, is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program, said Laura Pearson-Smith, Laboratory manager at Baystate Mary Lane, adding that CAP is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective medical care.

“During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors examined the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years,” she noted. “CAP inspectors also examined the entire staff’s qualifications; the laboratory’s equipment, facilities, safety program, and documentation; as well as the overall management of the laboratory. To have the distinction of being accredited by the CAP is an acknowledgment of excellence. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest standard of care for the laboratory’s patients.”

Baystate Mary Lane Hospital’s Laboratory currently processes almost 200,000 tests per year. Laboratory test selection and test interpretation are performed in hematology, including urinalysis, immunology, serology, clinical chemistry, toxicology, and transfusion medicine. BMLH also offers a walk-in Radiology and Laboratory Patient Service Center from a satellite location at 95 Sargent St. in Belchertown. All specimens are tested within the laboratory at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital or sent to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. For more information about Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, visit baystatehealth.com/mlh.

AMHERST — UMass Amherst has hired veteran biopharmaceutical executive and researcher Peter Reinhart to be the founding director of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). The institute was created in 2013 with $150 million in capital funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and additional contributions from the university to accelerate life-science research and advance collaboration with industry.

Reinhart comes to the university from Alzehon, a Lexington, Mass. company where he most recently was the head of corporate development and new products for the firm, which is focused on brain health, memory, and aging and development of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Prior to that, he was chief scientific officer and then president at Proteostasis Therapeutics, and head of Neurodegeneration at Wyeth/Pfizer. He has also been an adjunct associate professor of Neuroscience at the Duke University Medical Center for the past decade and was a tenured professor at the center for nearly 13 years prior to that.

Michael Malone, UMass Amherst’s vice chancellor for Research and Engagement, said hiring Reinhart is a significant milestone in developing the IALS. “His extensive experience in both academic and industrial biomedical research and training, and his passion for advancing life sciences, is the perfect background for leading the growth of the three IALS Centers.”

Kumble Subbaswamy, UMass Amherst chancellor, noted that IALS is a critical part of the university’s strategy for innovation and impact in the life-sciences ecosystem in Massachusetts and beyond. “As founding director, Peter Reinhart will play a critical role in shaping and expanding our collaborations on campus with industry and with colleagues at other UMass campuses.”

Reinhart said this is a position that is well-suited to his experience and skills. “Having spent significant time in large pharma, biotechnology companies, as well as in academia allows me to understand the strengths and needs of each of these organizations. This experience will be useful both in advancing alliances across the UMass campuses to combine assets and capabilities, and in utilizing such assets to develop industry partnerships.”

The MLSC funding, a capital grant of $95 million, is the largest economic-development grant in the history of the UMass system and the largest grant the MLSC has awarded as part of the Commonwealth’s $1 billion, 10-year, life-sciences economic-development initiative.

EASTHAMPTON — The Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce announced the hiring of its new executive director, Maureen Belliveau.

She joins the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce after two years as executive director of the Westfield Business Improvement District. Prior to that, she spent more than five years as co-owner of Optimum Health Therapeutic Massage, a small business also located in Westfield.

“I am delighted to partner with the board of directors in raising the Greater Easthampton Chamber to the next level,” said Belliveau. “I am eager to get out and about within our communities and meet our members.”

The chamber will host its next Networking by Night event on Thursday, Oct. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Eastworks, 116 Pleasant St., Easthampton. The business community and general public are invited to join chamber members at this event as they welcome Belliveau to the team. Admission is $5 for chamber members and $15 for non-members. More details can be found on the chamber website, www.easthamptonchamber.org, or by calling (413) 527-9414.

WESTFIELD — A Plus HVAC of Westfield is a 2014 COOL SMART award recipient, honored during the New England Air Conditioning Contractors of America golf tournament recently.

Sponsored by the Massachusetts/Rhode Island COOL SMART program, the annual awards recognize contractors for energy-efficiency practices, leadership, and quality installation of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Held in Stow, Mass., the tournament attracts approximately 150 participants throughout the region. Springfield resident and A Plus HVAC President Nathan LeMay was on hand to accept the award on behalf of his company.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, COOL SMART is a high-efficiency central-air-conditioning and heat-pump program for residential customers of National Grid, NSTAR Electric, Unitil, Western Massachusetts Electric Co., and Cape Light Compact. This initiative promotes the purchase and verified quality installation of ENERGY STAR-qualified central-air-conditioning and heat-pump systems.

Said Western Massachusetts Electric Co. Residential Program Manager Kevin Parse, who participated in the tournament, “we are proud to be affiliated with such a successful program that promotes technical excellence and green practices. It benefits our customers and the greater good through energy efficiency.”

Conservation Services Group, a Westborough-based residential energy-services firm, implements the COOL SMART program.

EASTHAMPTON — Matthew Sosik, president and CEO of Easthampton Savings Bank, announced that Tracey Gaylord has joined the bank as vice president, commercial lending.

Gaylord has more than 25 years of banking experience, primarily in commercial lending. Most recently, she was the regional vice president and commercial loan officer for Union Bank in St. Johnsbury, Vt. Gaylord obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont in Burlington. She is a graduate of the Northern New England School of Banking, the New England School of Banking, the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and the ABA Graduate Commercial Lending School.

While living in Vermont, Gaylord had extensive affiliations with local nonprofits, including the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, where she continues to serve as a trustee, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, Northeast Kingdom Human Services, and the St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce.

PIONEER VALLEY — The Greater Chicopee, Holyoke, Westfield, and South Hadley & Granby Chambers of Commerce have joined forces in successfully attracting the top leaders of the Massachusetts House and Senate, and every member of the Massachusetts House and Senate who specifically represent the collective Chamber’s municipalities, to an afternoon-long exchange of ideas and information.

The event will take place at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke on Nov. 7. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., with lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. A panel discussion with the state delegation will take place between 1:30 and 3:30, with questions from the audience. It will be followed by a cocktail reception, which area mayors and town administrators will also attend. Reservations are required, and tickets cost $50 per person for chamber members and $60 for non-members.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal will participate as a keynote speaker, adding his perspective and expertise from Washington, and state House Speaker Bob DeLeo will also be a keynote speaker, sharing insights on gateway cities, among other topics.

“We are ecstatic by the response to this effort to bring the top decision-makers in government here to Western Mass.,” said Eileen Drumm, president of the Greater Chicopee Chamber. “The elected officials who have confirmed their attendance and the membership of our respective chambers who have already responded to our pre-announcement outreach are stunning. Our members, the business people and entrepreneurs that make our economy run, the people who create and provide jobs here, want access to these leaders and want to engage in a real dialogue that helps them to help us. It was important to us to achieve this for them and that we make the cost of attendance as reasonable as possible.”

In addition to DeLeo and Neal, state Sens. Stanley Rosenberg, Gale Candaras, Donald Humason Jr. and James Welch will attend, joined by state Reps. John Scibak, Aaron Vega, John Velis, and Joseph Wagner, House chairman of Economic Affairs and Emerging Technologies.

Sponsorship opportunities for the event are still available. For $750, sponsors receive their name and logo on the invitations, their name included on all broadcast e-mails of all the chambers, name and recognition in the event program and all future press releases, as well as four VIP seating tickets. Current sponsors include Spherion Staffing, Mercy Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Center, Mestek Inc., Holyoke Gas & Electric, Health New England, Dave’s Truck Repair, the Republican/El Pueblo Latino, Marcotte Ford, PeoplesBank, the Center for School Crisis Intervention and Assessment, United Personnel, Comcast, and Chicopee Savings Bank. For more information, visit the Chicopee, Holyoke, Westfield or South Hadley chamber website.