Month: September 2015

Construction Sections

Afterschool Special

Kevin Perrier, on the roof of Parsons Place.

When Easthampton officials sought to repurpose a 113-year-old elementary-school building, they issued a request for proposals, but received only one response. Fortunately, they liked what they heard, and after an accelerated construction schedule that saw the building gutted and renovated in four months, the former Parsons Street School is now a high-end, 15-unit apartment complex called Parsons Place, and the “calculated risk” its developer took has paid off with full occupancy, from its bottom floor to its striking penthouse roof.

Kevin Perrier called it a “calculated risk” — but he liked the odds of success.

He was standing in the 5,200-square-foot penthouse of Parsons Place, a high-end apartment complex that opened earlier this month inside the former Parsons Street School in Easthampton. That penthouse — considerably larger than the building’s other 14 units — recently became the final space leased.

In other words, the risk paid off.

“I don’t think there’s anything like it in the area,” said Perrier, president of Easthampton-based Five Star Building Corp., which gutted the school and converted it to living space in just four months. Perrier’s other company, Norwich Properties, purchased the property from the city in late 2014 for $10,000.

“It was certainly a calculated risk. It hadn’t been done, but we felt strongly it could be done,” he told BusinessWest. “Based on the feedback we heard, what people were looking for, we were confident we could find 15 families willing to pay a little more in rent to get an awful lot more in amenities. So we were very confident it would be leased in a timely manner.”

Part of the property’s appeal, Perrier said, is a regional dearth of high-end apartments such as these. “It’s more like what you might find in Boston — all high-end cabinets, mahogany floors throughout most of the units, 12-foot ceilings, central air, all-tile bathrooms, high-end appliances … even little touches, like fridges with ice makers and mosaic tile backsplashes.”

Within four weeks of availability, the 14 regular units, measuring 950 square feet, had been leased, while the penthouse was claimed a few days after a recent open house, and residents started moving in at the start of September.

From the front, Parsons Place still looks like a century-old schoolhouse, complete with a false door that’s actually now someone’s bedroom wall.

Neighborhood response in the New City neighborhood of Easthampton has been decidedly different from the ire that has greeted Parsons Village, a 38-unit, low-income housing complex a few hundred feet down the road; that complex also opened this month.

“We are very pleased with the amazing renovation of this school building that sat vacant and unused for several years,” Easthampton Mayor Karen Cadieux told BusinessWest, adding that the city is pleased the property is back on the tax roll, while the renovated building and grounds will enhance the neighborhood values and esthetics.

That’s something neighbors were not saying about the development of Parsons Village. But Perrier said a much more positive vibe surrounded Parsons Place, lending a sense of fun to what was a very ambitious schedule. “We had a great crew. We started April 6 and finished August 6. That’s for a complete gut and 25,000 square feet. That’s an aggressive timeline. Everyone stepped up to the plate for us. The original goal was occupancy by November; we beat that by two months.”

Sole Response

When the city issued an RFP last fall for the former Parsons Street School, potential developers were charged with preserving the historic character of the building, along with the usual compliance with land-use boards and commissions, Cadieux said.

“Additional considerations were given to proposals that offered to provide barrier-free handicapped-accessible and/or adaptable residential units,” she added. “We received only one proposal.”

That was Perrier, who saw no hurdles meeting the goals of historical preservation and accessibility. In its finished state, Parsons Place includes one ADA-compliant unit, but all apartments may easily be adapted as such, having been designed with wide hallways and interior spaces.

“The city had quite a few … not restrictions, but strong suggestions about what they wanted and didn’t want,” he said. “One mandatory one was that the building be saved. We tried to meet as many requirements as possible when we put in a proposal, and as it turned out, we were the only bidder on the project.”

Still, “the City Council and the mayor seemed excited about what we wanted to do,” he went on. “No one wanted an affordable-housing project, which this neighborhood just endured; that project wasn’t received favorably by the neighbors. This neighborhood was looking for something other than affordable housing, and we saw an opportunity for a high-end project.”

The idea, he said, was to tap into the segment of renters who might consider Northampton, by offering units comparable to what might be found there, but with more amenities for the price. The penthouse costs $3,500 a month, while the other 14 units are being leased at $1,400.

“It was clear there was a need and a demand for high-end products, things you can’t find in any units around here — dishwashers, central air, stainless appliances, high-end cabinetry, that kind of thing,” Perrier said. “You might hit one or two of those points in rental properties here, but you usually won’t get all of them.”

When tackling the conversion of the school, Perrier said, it helped that it isn’t technically a historic building, and isn’t subject to the restrictions of being placed on such a registry. The elementary school was built in 1902 and expanded in 1908; it closed in 2011.

“We tried to maintain it as much as possible,” Perrier said of the character of the red-brick building, which still looks very much like a century-old school at first glance. “It had storefront glass doors, and we took those out and replaced them with historically accurate doors. In the elevator shaft, we could have gone the less expensive route with cement siding, but we did it with brick instead.

This 20-foot spiral staircase connects the penthouse living room with a roof deck.

“We were able to maintain the exterior look of the building,” he added, “but in the interior, there wasn’t as much to be salvaged. With the asbestos and lead paint, it was almost a complete gut. But we kept many of the original wooden beams in the penthouse, and overall, there’s a happy medium between modern touches and a ’20s vibe. We kept some of the schoolhouse fixtures in the common areas, and certainly tried to keep it as historically accurate as possible in many areas.”

View to a Hill

Those amenities and the quirky aesthetics of the school drew renters from well outside the region, including Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Eastern Mass., some of whom work in the Valley and sought a shorter commute.

The penthouse — which has direct elevator access with a key card — is especially striking, with its 32 skylights, three bedrooms (the other units feature one or two), two and a half bathrooms, 17-foot ceilings, a large tub and walk-in shower, higher-end appliances and light fixtures, and in-suite laundry (other renters share a laundry room on the lower level). Then there are dramatic touches like the dark exposed beams and a dramatic, 20-foot spiral staircase connecting the living room with a rooftop deck, offering views of Mount Tom and well beyond.

The project stands in stark contrast to Parsons Village, a project originally rejected by the Planning Board in 2011 after objections from neighbors, but eventually approved in 2012. But city officials have long emphasized the need for all types of housing in a city that has seen incomes and property values rise in recent years but has retained an eclectic, arts-driven vibe as well.

“There’s nothing like this around here,” Perrier reiterated, standing in the kitchen of Parsons Place’s recently leased penthouse. “I’m not even sure you can get something like this in Northampton right now.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Planned Renovation Project Would Change the Landscape at STCC

Education Sections

Storehouse of History

Above: an architect’s rendering of a renovated Building 19. Below left: a late-19th-century shot of the structure, which served primarily as a warehouse for the Armory.

It’s called Building 19. That’s the number the federal government attached to the structure at the Springfield Armory that eventually grew to 660 feet in length and was used to store hundreds of thousands of rifle stocks at a time. Despite its historical and architectural significance (its first portion was completed 14 years before the Civil War started), the building has essentially been lost to time, serving as a storehouse for unwanted equipment that those at Springfield Technical Community College, which moved into the Armory complex in 1967, can’t simply throw away. But plans have been blueprinted to make ‘19’ the new center of the campus.

Springfield Technical Community College President Ira Rubenzahl likes to say the school moved into the historic Springfield Armory site back in 1967 … “and it’s been moving in ever since.”

Elaborating, he said the process of converting former Armory manufacturing buildings, office space, officers’ quarters, and other structures into classrooms, administration areas, and assorted other academic facilities hasn’t really ceased since it first began back when Lyndon Johnson patrolled the White House.

And the latest, and perhaps most ambitious, example of this phenomenon in the college’s nearly-50-year history is the planned conversion of the structure known as Building 19, which was once a warehouse that held more than a half-million rifle stocks at any given time, into the home for a host of facilities ranging from the library to the financial-aid office to the bookstore.

“It’s going to be the centerpiece of the campus,” said Rubenzahl, who took the helm at the school in 2004 and has overseen several projects involving reuse of old Armory buildings. He noted that, while there are still some hurdles to clear, especially final appropriation of the $50 million this undertaking will cost, the project is rounding into shape.

Gov. Charlie Baker visited the region late last month to announce $3 million in state funding for what amounts to final designs for the project, which will make use of all 660 feet of this intriguing structure, which is historically and architecturally significant, said Rubenzahl.

Indeed, Building 19 is the only standing structure in this country that can be called a caserne, a French term for a combination military barracks and stables, although it was never actually used for that purpose. From the beginning, which in this case means 1846, when the first of four sections of the building was completed, it has served primarily as a storage facility.

“It wasn’t used as a stables, but it looks like one,” he explained, “because it’s built on the model of a caserne, which had the cavalry horses on the first floor and the cavalry officers living above them. It’s not a replica; it’s the U.S. Army’s version of what this might look like in the United States.”

The building’s ground floor has dozens of arched entrances, or openings, which will allow for a great deal of creativity when it comes to design of the spaces inside while dispensing a huge amount of natural light, said Rubenzahl. Meanwhile, the second floor features an equal number of large, slightly curved windows, which can be used to shape unique, desirable working and studying spaces.

“We’re told that 40% of the exterior walls are entrances, which is very unusual,” he said. “We have all these arches, so you can make an entrance anywhere you want. And then you can do some nice things with light; it’s going to be very dramatic.”

The renovation of Building 19 is likely to commence sometime next year, said Rubenzahl, and while it won’t be ready for the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017 that are now being blueprinted, it should be open for business the following year.

STCC President Ira Rubenzahl says that, if renovated as planned, Building 19 would become the new center of the campus.

Overall, the ‘new’ Building 19 will reorient the campus, with the focus shifting from Garvey Hall to the renovated structure, and centralize it as well, in a way that will add needed convenience to students and staff alike.

“This will help organize the campus in a way that it’s never been organized before,” he explained. “From the beginning, the college took this space, then it took that space, and said, ‘we need something for this … we’ll put it over here.’ There was never a master plan to organize the functions in a coherent way that would help the students.

“That’s what we’re doing with Building 19,” he went on, “and it will be a huge step forward.”

For this issue and its focus on education, BusinessWest looks at the ambitious plans for Building 19, and how they would change the landscape at STCC — in every sense of that word.

Blast from the Past

In recent years, Rubenzahl told BusinessWest — actually, since the day the college opened — students could spend their entire time at the school and never really notice Building 19, as large as it is, other than to walk by it on the journey from the parking lots off Pearl Street to the classroom buildings in the center of the campus, constructed in the ’80s on the site of former Armory buildings.

All that will change if funding is approved and construction starts as scheduled, he went on, and by September 2018, the structure would be the undisputed hub of the campus.

This startling transformation has been decades in the making, he went on, adding that discussions concerning what to do with Building 19 have been ongoing — at different levels of intensity, to be sure — since the college’s earliest days, when it was known as the Springfield Technical Institute (STI).

That was in the fall of 1967, roughly three years after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara announced that the federal government would decommission the Armory, built in the late 18th century on a site chosen by George Washington, and about 18 months after city officials lost a pitched battle to keep it open.

Soon after those efforts failed — or years and even decades before that, depending on whom one talks to — officials began eyeing the site as a possible home for a college, especially the west side of Federal Street, with its long brick buildings and large courtyard.

In those early days, STI and the Armory actually co-existed as the latter was decommissioned, with the school gradually occupying more of the Armory buildings in the years to follow. Building 16, as it was called, the Armory’s main administration building, served the college in that same capacity, and eventually became known as Garvey Hall in honor of the school’s first president, Edmond Garvey.

Meanwhile, Building 27 became home to the school’s library; Building 20, one of the youngest structures on the property, dating back to the 1940s, would house most health programs; and a series of buildings on the east side of Federal Street, first home to GE and then Digital Equipment Corp., became the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College, now home to dozens of businesses and, most recently, a charter school.

As for Building 19, well, it has been used almost exclusively for storage, said Rubenzahl, adding that, over the decades, all manner of equipment and supplies have wound up there — and remained there for years.

Indeed, as he offered BusinessWest a tour of the facilities, he walked past everything from long-obsolete computers to rusting air conditioners to an old phonograph.

“We’re a state agency, and that means we’re not allowed to throw things out,” he explained, adding that disposing of all equipment or identifying other potential users is a laborious, time-consuming process that certainly helps explain why such items accumulate.

Building 19, seen in the background in front of Armory buildings torn down to make way for new classroom buildings, has historical and architectural significance.

Soon, these objects — and their numbers have been dwindling recently — will have to reside somewhere else because Building 19 will be getting a serious interior facelift and new lease on life.

As he talked about it on a hot summer’s afternoon, Rubenzahl walked the length of both floors and pointed to the third, a windowless, loft-like area, talking about how each will be repurposed.

The ground floor, with those arched entrances, will become home to a number of offices, including admissions, registration, financial aid, and others, and also the bookstore, currently located in Building 20, he said, adding that the space throughout the building is dominated by columns, which makes it far more suitable for offices and student uses than for classroom space.

The second floor, meanwhile, will house the library and other student services, he said, adding that facilities will be placed toward the center of the spaces, generating maximum benefit from all those windows.

Overall, the building is in good condition, he noted, and while the older structures pose challenges, they were in many ways overbuilt because of their intended uses, and have stood the test of time.

“They were built by the Army, they were built for weapons storage in some cases, and they’re just very solidly constructed,” he explained. “Structurally, these buildings have great integrity, so in many ways, they’re good buildings to renovate.”

Building Momentum

When the renovation project is complete, Rubenzahl said, the campus will have tens of thousands of square feet of space to repurpose — in Building 16, the library, and other structures — and these developments create opportunities for the college, the Commonwealth, and perhaps the community as well.

Meanwhile, there are other projects to tackle, including Building 20, the largest structure on the campus, which is partly in use (the first three floors are occupied), but there are a number of infrastructure issues.

A master plan is being developed for the entire campus, said Rubenzahl, adding that the Armory complex offers a wealth of opportunities but also myriad challenges.

And that explains why the college that moved in 48 years ago is still moving in.

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

WMBExpo Boasts a Strong Educational Component

Features

Learning Opportunities

WMBExpo 2015 LOGO

At its core, the Western Mass. Business Expo is, as the name suggests, a business-to-business showcase, an event that turns a bright spotlight on companies large and small and across sectors of the economy.

But there has always been a strong educational component to the annual fall event, said Kate Campiti, associate publisher of BusinessWest, which has produced the show since 2011. And the 2015 edition of the Expo, set for Nov. 4 at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, will be no exception.

In fact, she said, it will set a new standard when it comes to programs and events designed to help business owners and managers better understand and navigate the complexities of doing business today.

Indeed, seminar topics will run the gamut from medical marijuana in the workplace to preventing white-collar crime; from creating sales opportunities to brand development; from bullying in the workplace (and how to prevent it) to a new term not yet officially in the dictionary: ‘parentrepreneurship.’

In addition to 16 seminars across four tracks, there will be other opportunities to learn, said Campiti, listing everything from breakfast and luncheon keynote speakers and their messages on both business and life, to a special program on robotics featuring area high-school students, to the so-called, and appropriately named, ‘Business Resource Hub.’

This special corridor of the Expo show floor will be occupied by a host of agencies with varying missions but a common purpose — helping area businesses thrive.

“The Business Resource Hub will be a true resource,” said Campiti. “It has never been tougher to be in business and stay in business, and those trying to run often have questions — about everything from how to secure financing to how to navigate the new sick-leave law — but often don’t know where to look to find answers. The Business Resource Hub will help them make important contacts with a host of state and local business-assistance agencies.”

The specific seminar schedule is still to be finalized, said Campiti, but the tracks have been selected — Sales & Marketing, Workforce Development, Entrepreneurship, and Hottest Trends — as have many of the topics for discussion. A brief look at some of the working titles of the seminars gives a hint of the wealth of information to be disseminated. They include:

• “Parentrepreneurship: Being Both a Parent and an Entrepreneur”;
• “Building a Pipeline of Sales Opportunity”;
• “Why Interns Can Make a Difference for Your Company”;
• “Securing Your Business from White-collar Crime”;
• “How to Work with Humans: Harnessing the Power of Employees”;
• “Increasing the Sanity, Fairness, and Appreciation in Your Family Business”; and
• “Secrets to Hiring and Developing the Right People.”

Meanwhile, other components of the show include a return of last year’s highly successful Retail Corridor, the ever-popular pitch contest staged by Valley Venture Mentors, a Healthcare Corridor, a Technology Corridor, the day-capping Expo Social (one of the best networking events of the year), and much more.

The Expo will again be presented by Comcast Business, which has been the show’s lead sponsor since BusinessWest began producing it in 2011. Director-level sponsors are Health New England, Johnson & Hill Staffing Services, MGM Springfield, and Wild Apple Design. The Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst is education sponsor, and Elms College is the information-center sponsor. Details on the Expo can be found by visiting www.wmbexpo.com.

Fast Facts

What: The Western Mass. Business Expo
When: Nov. 4
Where: MassMutual Center, Springfield
Events and Activities: Breakfast hosted by the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, featuring Dan Kenary, CEO and co-founder of Boston-based Harpoon Brewery; lunch hosted by the Professional Women’s Chamber; Show Floor Theater presentations; informational seminars; Pitch Contest, matchmaking opportunities, robotics displays, the Business Resource Hub, and more.
Exhibitor Information: Booth sizes and rates are: 20×20 showcase unfurnished: $2,250; 20×20 showcase furnished: $2,400; 10×20 double unfurnished: $1,250; 10×20 double furnished: $1,350; 10×10 corner unfurnished: $850; 10×10 corner furnished: $925; 10×10 standard unfurnished: $750; 10×10 standard furnished: $825.
For More Information: Call (413) 781-8600, or visit www.wmbexpo.com.

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]

Fantastic Pour

On Sept. 10, the Springfield Boys & Girls Club partnered with the Student Prince/the Fort in a celebrity bartending event. All tips and a portion of the proceeds from sales benefited the club and its services. From top to bottom: from left, celebrity bartenders Nick Tokman, cast member on Deadliest Catch; former NBA players Travis Best and Lou Roe; former UMass basketball coach Bruiser Flint; and current UMass basketball coach Derek Kellogg share a moment with Fort partner Andy Yee. Peter Picknelly, partner at the Fort and president of Peter Pan Bus Lines, chats with patrons. From left, celebrity bartenders George O’Brien, BusinessWest editor; Brittany Decker, reporter for Western Mass News; and radio personality Mike Baxendale from Rock 102 with Yee. From left, celebrity bartenders Malcolm Getz, retired CPA and serial entrepreneur, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno with Picknelly and Fort bartender Matt Dessereau.

All Aboard

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Gov. Charlie Baker (center) joined a host of local and state officials and representatives of CRRC USA Rail Corp. recently for a groundbreaking ceremony (above) at the city’s former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard, where the company will build its first North American plant — a project that promises 100-plus construction jobs from the building of a 220,000-square-foot facility, and more than 150 new manufacturing positions. Among the company officials on hand was Weiping Yu, vice president of CRRC Corp. Limited in Beijing (bottom). “We have an exciting road ahead as we embrace this unique opportunity to partner with Massachusetts on our first transportation project in the United States,” he said, adding that the company sees potential for significant growth in the U.S., and has increased overseas investments by 61% over the past year. “We have a focused vision and a strong commitment not only to being the best, but understanding the infrastructure needs of our global partners and working together to achieve them.” Others sharing thoughts at the ceremony included Yi Lu, general commercial counselor for the New York Chinese Consulate; Chuanhe Zhou, president of CRRC USA Rail Corp.; Jay Ash, the state’s secretary of Housing and Economic Development; and Stephanie Pollack, the Commonwealth’s Transportation secretary. See page 60 for more extensive comments from the event.

Springfield Tackles Needed Repairs on MassMutual Center Garage

Construction Sections

Space Race

The MassMutual Center garage is critical to parking capacity downtown, but was in dire need of repairs.

At a time when parking is at a premium in downtown Springfield, the central district’s largest parking garage, serving the MassMutual Center and numerous local businesses, plays an important role for workers and event-goers alike. But the five-story structure has long fallen into disrepair.

“We’ve had problems with drainage and water leaking from the roof through the various levels and damaging property and people’s cars,” said Mary McNally, executive director of the Springfield Parking Authority. “Then all that stuff accumulates on the iron, so that’s rusted; we’ve had a significant amount of property-damage claims.

“Overall, we just wanted to maintain the structural integrity of the building,” she went on, “because it’s the main garage in the city, and there’s no plan at present to replace it, so we needed to do somewhat of an intermediate level of repair.”

For the past several weeks, Marois Construction has set up shop in the garage, barricading off large swaths of parking spaces as workers perform a number of repairs aimed at keeping the structure serviceable for the near future. The job is expected to be finished in mid-November.

Marois submitted a bid of $889,940, the lowest of three bids received. The others were Contracting Specialists Inc. of Attleboro for $1,099,750, and P.J. Spillane of Everett for $1,463,890.

Renovations include a host of needed upgrades, McNally said. “They’ll fix the drainage and fix the waterproofing, restore the roof integrity, and install new drains. There will be some painting, some remortaring of the exits, some of the cinderblock needs to be restored, and many of the bar joists, which support the deck structure on each floor, need to be replaced. They’re also resurfacing some of the concrete on the lower levels that get the most traffic.”

Joe Marois, president of the South Hadley-based contractor, said the goal is to complete an intermediate repair that will hold up for the foreseeable future whether or not the garage is eventually rebuilt.

“We’ve recently finished up all the concrete, masonry, and block repairs that had to be done. We’re changing out some of the plumbing, drainage, and so forth, and doing some miscellaneous concrete repair and reinforcing some of the existing steel,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re addressing the concerns in the city’s engineering report.”

Shuffling the Decks

Top: some of the rusted ironwork in the garage. Bottom: one of many areas off-limits to parkers until issues with drainage and loose debris can be remedied.

The 44-year-old MassMutual Center garage — which borders Harrison Avenue, Dwight Street, and Falcons Way — is the oldest and highest-volume garage in Springfield’s central business district, with a maximum capacity of 1,232 vehicles.

But the structure has been problematic for users for some time, with certain areas roped off on occasion to protect vehicles from debris. Preserving its functionality is critical at a time when the city will lose close to 500 spaces from two downtown parking garages under the I-91 viaduct.

That viaduct is undergoing a massive reconstruction that will close down a mile-long stretch of the interstate for at least two years starting this fall, making hundreds of parking spaces off limits. But McNally, who meets with state Department of Transportation officials every three weeks to review the upcoming construction schedule, is convinced the central district will have enough parking.

“I was worried a year ago, but not currently,” she said. “The contractor [Framingham-based J.F. White Contracting Co.] is very cognizant of the impact on both garages, north and south. I’ve been assured repeatedly at these meetings that they will do what they say they’ll do — and the contract they have with the state requires that they take no more than 450 spaces from the second levels on both garages. With the current occupancy and capacity, I don’t expect any problems at all. That’s very good news.”

One reason for reassurance is the fact that the repair work on the nearby MassMutual Center garage promises to recapture about 100 spaces perennially lost, especially in the winter, to leakage and drainage problems. “If those issues are remedied, those spaces come back,” she said.

In addition, McNally noted, the fifth-level roof deck, which is typically chained off, may also be available for use soon, bringing all 1,232 spaces in the garage back into play.

“There have been considerable engineering studies assuring us the roof deck is safe for parking, and that’s 200 spaces,” she explained. “The roof was never declared unsafe, but there wasn’t demand for it. We anticipated there would be demand, though, which is why we went ahead and did those tests, giving us the comfort that it’s safe.”

Looking Forward

The Springfield Parking Authority, which is funded by parking revenues, oversees on-street and off-street parking in Springfield, including the downtown parking garages. The Marois project is part of a $4 million capital plan for improvements to city garages.

The Parking Authority has also been working with MGM Springfield on a long-term commuter-parking arrangement during construction of the $800 million casino in Springfield’s South End — necessary, because the project footprint will eliminate several parking areas in the district.

Marois said both major construction projects downtown — the viaduct restoration and the casino — are going to strain parking options to some degree, making his company’s repair work on the MassMutual Center garage that much more important.

“I totally think that’s going to be a big deal,” he said. “We’re going to lose a lot of spaces underneath the viaduct while they’re doing that work. I think the city has taken the right steps here in anticipation of that shortage.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Future Residents Help Shape Plans for Village Hill Cohousing

Architecture Sections

Common Ground

Future residents of Village Hill Cohousing with the agreed-upon preliminary site design.

Cohousing isn’t for everyone — for example, people who just want to be left alone should probably take a pass. But for individuals and families who crave a balance between privacy and community, it can be a highly attractive proposition. Kraus & Fitch Architects and Transformations Inc. have been hard at work designing Village Hill Cohousing in Northampton, but they haven’t worked alone; future residents have plenty of input in what promises to be an intriguing, collaborative, ultra-energy-efficient development.

Peggy Gillespie loves her home in Belchertown. But the 67-year-old widow plans to move to Village Hill Cohousing once the development is built on the grounds of the former Northampton State Hospital, and has been attending meetings for the past year with other prospective residents.

“I love living and working together with people, and the idea of being surrounded by a community while having autonomy in my own private space is very appealing to me,” she said. “Cohousing is like living in a village, and I hope to be able to help young families who move there. And since residents are committed to helping each other, it’s a guarantee that you will have a lot of people to support you if you are dealing with an illness or physical disability.”

Deborah Schifter shares similar feelings, but finds the community particularly attractive for environmental reasons. When she was in her 20s, she lived on a kibbutz in Israel and enjoyed the camaraderie in the close-knit community, as well as the fact that people with diverse talents shared responsibility for its upkeep.

But one of the most prominent selling points of Village Hill for Schifter is that every structure in the neighborhood will be a zero-net-energy building.

“We’re heading into a time that will be very different due to climate change, and sustainability and living in a community with people who are knowledgeable about energy resources are among the things that appeal to me,” she said.

The women belong to a group of 15 future residents who have put down a $5,000 deposit to pay for architectural fees for the new development. They come from diverse locations — local towns and cities, the Boston area, Cape Cod, New York, New Jersey, Florida, even Saudi Arabia — and attend frequent meetings held to ensure their wishes are taken into consideration during the design phase of the project.

The initial plan for the anticipated community came about as a result of a collaboration between Amherst-based Kraus Fitch Architects Inc. and Transformations Inc., which was awarded a contract by MassDevelopment to create Village Hill Cohousing on the last remaining large parcel of land slated for residential use on Village Hill.

Transformations President Carter Scott said his firm submitted a plan in response to a request for proposals for the 41-acre site, which contained a letter of intent from Kraus Fitch Architects and a drawing of the proposed cohousing neighborhood created by architect Laura Fitch.

Mary Kraus cooks dinner for residents in her cohousing community, where members share a meal several times a week.

However, in addition to the cohousing neighborhood, the plan includes construction of 53 units of conventional housing in a different section of the tract that will be designed by a different architect.

Both neighborhoods will be within walking distance to downtown, but the cohousing development will be unique. It will contain a spacious parking lot, 10 duplexes, and 12 single-family homes ranging in size from about 700 to 1,600 square feet, with space for a community garden.

However, the most important structure will be a 4,600-square-foot common house, where members will likely share meals several nights a week. Its interior will boast a gathering room with a kitchen and dining area large enough to accommodate all of the residents, as well as a children’s playroom, an exercise room outfitted with equipment, a game room, a guest suite with two bedrooms, and storage space.

“Two things define cohousing and make it different than a condominium association,” Scott said. “One is having a large common house that is used frequently by all of the residents, and the other is the fact that members are involved in the development process.”

Principal architect Mary Kraus says her firm is one of a handful in the country that specializes in cohousing and sustainable design, and has been involved in at least 30 of these developments. In the past, groups with established goals came to them when they were ready to establish a new community, but Village Hill is unique because, when the idea was conceived, they had no idea how much interest it would generate.

So she set about marketing the proposed neighborhood long before MassDevelopment awarded the contract to Transformations. “We held three informational meetings, which were highly successful. They attracted about 130 people,” she said.

Scott added that enthusiasm soared when he mentioned he planned to build zero-net-energy homes in the community. “People at the meetings broke out in spontaneous applause, which was really exciting. And one of the Planning Board members got tears in his eyes when he looked at the plan,” he recalled, adding that an e-mail list of interested people was created during the meetings.

Involved Process

After a group of individuals and couples expressed a decided interest in the community, Kraus began the process of getting them together to solicit information about their values and goals.

“These things are important, but the meetings involved more than what was addressed; our goal is to help the group build a social community while they are designing their physical community,” she told BusinessWest, adding that gatherings can be stressful due to differing viewpoints.

Peggy Gillespie, left, and Deborah Schifter are among a group of individuals actively involved in the planning of Village Hill Cohousing.

But Kraus and Fitch Architects has developed a methodology to help large groups make decisions efficiently, in a way that supports connection and collaboration. “When we work on cohousing projects, we facilitate a series of participatory workshops in which future neighbors work together to come to consensus on key decisions for their community,” Kraus explained. “In the case of Village Hill Cohousing, the workshop topics included values, a vision statement, sustainable design, site design, common facilities, and the size and location of individual homes.”

Kraus sent out an online survey prior to each session, which included questions and recommendations pertinent to the topic. The responses were analyzed, and once areas of agreement and divergent opinion were identified, the agenda was tailored to focus on areas that needed to be resolved through discussion.

“The surveys helped us make the most efficient use of the group’s time,” she told BusinessWest. “During the workshops, we model respectful communication and active listening to create a safe environment so members can speak frankly, yet remain open to other ideas, even though it might be challenging. We staged three two-day workshops and three day-long sessions which helped us understand where the group was in consensus and where we had to have difficult conversations.”

And there were definitely differences of opinion.

“Some people wanted an exercise room in the common house, while others wanted a meditation room,” Schifter said, explaining that they compromised when they realized an exercise room was needed to house equipment, but a multi-purpose space could be designed to feel contemplative. Other issues included the number of pets a person could have and what the owner’s responsibility would be in monitoring their behavior.

During one workshop, group members were given small building blocks so they could simulate the layout of their community, which changed as they moved tiny structures around the table.

“But by working together, they built relationships and dealt with their fears as well as interpersonal challenges,” Kraus said.

The workshops began last August, and a basic design was completed by the end of last winter. Members continued meeting on their own after that, and today, a membership committee, design group, communication committee, and facilitation committee have been formed.

Several meetings were held in Schifter’s Northampton home, and she said some future residents plan to move to the area before the development is finished to avoid frequent, long commutes. “We started meeting every two to three weeks during the spring and continued through July. We had a potluck lunch at noon, followed by a business meeting from 1 to 5 p.m., but it often went over the timeframe,” Schifter said, noting that they have begun meeting again at Gillespie’s home. “People have already made friends, and some are starting to get together socially.”

Kraus said the facilitation process that fostered goodwill and built consensus for their cohousing clients can be used in a wide range of business situations, such as creating a design for a large stakeholder group or helping a company improve their decision-making process while fostering positive working relationships among their staff members.

Moving Forward

Ground is expected to be broken next spring for the zero-net-energy community, and Scott is excited about it.

He is on the governor’s Zero Net Energy Building Advisory Council, and cited a long list of prestigious awards that Transformations Inc. has received for its work in this arena, including the Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc. Public Impact Award for building more zero-net-energy homes than any other member.

“In 2012, we built two homes that produced enough energy to drive an electric car 30,000 miles per year,” he noted. “But we will be able to go much further on the sustainability curve with this cohousing project because we are not building on spec, but for a group of ecologically minded people.

“Village Hill Cohousing will be one of the most sustainable communities in the country, based on the climate-change perspective,” he went on. “Every home will have solar electric panels and dual-stage air-source heat pumps, which are incredibly efficient, and houses with basements will have air-source heat-pump water heaters.”

This new neighborhood on Village Hill promises to be an attractive addition to the former state-school property, which has been transformed into an oasis with a wide variety of housing options.

The combination of many positive factors, including a close-knit community, have caused Scott and his family to consider moving there. “We haven’t made a decision yet, but it’s a nice way to live,” he said.

Gillespie agreed. “I think people are longing for this type of environment. They miss knowing their neighbors and being able to interact with them on a frequent basis. Village Hill Cohousing will have a nice environment and be a great place for people,” she said.

Kraus and her husband have lived in Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst for 21 years and love being part of a close community.

“It has exceeded our expectations,” she said. “Before we moved here, we didn’t realize just how vital small interactions are to us as a species. Cohousing recreates the type of neighborhood people lived in years ago.”

Mike Balise Creates a ‘Strategy for Life’

Cover Story

A Cancer Battle Plan

Mike Balise

Since he was first diagnosed with incurable stomach cancer roughly a year ago, Mike Balise, co-owner of the large family of auto dealerships bearing the family’s name, has fought the disease with determination, creativity, and his indomitable humor. (When told that he had already reached stage 4, he asked the doctor, “can we create a fifth?”) He’s already lived longer than the doctors told him he would, but it’s not longevity that makes this story compelling — it’s the quality of that life and the manner in which he’s become an inspiration to all those around him.

Mike Balise has always been a huge New England Patriots fan.

He’s had season tickets since 1988, but was attending games — the 1985 AFC championship tilt against the Dolphins in Miami that sent the Pats to their first Super Bowl is one he fondly remembers — long before that.

Speaking of Super Bowls, he’s been to four now, including last February’s classic Patriots triumph in Phoenix (more on that adventure later). Meanwhile, through his business — several players and coaches buy or lease cars from the family of dealerships Mike serves as co-owner and vice president — he’s on a first-name basis with several people within the Pats’ organization, including its iconic head coach.

So when Judge Richard Berman freed Tom Brady earlier this month by vacating the four-game suspension imposed by the NFL, Balise was naturally in a celebratory mood.

Well, sort of, but not really.

Mike Balise, seen here with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, says he’s focused on not letting his stomach cancer dictate his life.

He told BusinessWest that he was very tired of the whole ‘Deflategate’ ordeal by that time, and was candid when he said he thought way too much time, money, and energy was spent on a matter that was taking needed attention from “real issues in this world.”

More to the point, he had just started a new chemotherapy regimen, and he was still dealing with the accompanying physical and emotional issues. Meanwhile, the pain that had retreated for the better part of six months was back with a vengeance and had reached what he considered a new level of severity.

“When that decision came out, I couldn’t have cared less about anything,” he said.

And there were still other, more pressing matters on his mind — such as the nagging question about what to do about his mother if and when that chemotherapy leads to serious hair loss, as the doctors are telling him it probably will.

Indeed, Viola (Vicky) Balise doesn’t know that her 50-year-old son, the youngest of her six children, has been diagnosed with incurable stomach cancer and continuously impresses those same doctors by the simple fact that he’s still alive.

And she’s not about to find out any time soon.

Balise said the news that reaches his bedridden, 88-year-old mother is censored, for lack of a better word, and family members are extraordinarily careful about what they say and do around Vicky to keep the diagnosis from her.

As for the impending hair loss and how to explain it away, Mike has a solution. His plan is to stage a promotion — details of which are emerging — whereby he will auction off one of his two season tickets to raise money for cancer research and treatment, attend the game with the high bidder, shave his head, and paint whatever image that companion wants on his bald scalp.

And if the hair should not grow back quickly or profoundly? “I’ll just tell her I like it that way,” said Balise with a laugh.

Various forms of creativity and humor have been Balise’s best weapons since he was first given his diagnosis in October 2014 and told bluntly that people who get this form of cancer generally don’t live more than nine to 12 months after reaching stage 4, which he already had.

Mike Balise says one of his priorities now is spending time with his family, including, from left, daughters Nicole and Marisa, a dog named Brady, son David, and wife Maryellen.

“I told the doctor, ‘I could have gone anywhere in the world for this diagnosis. You’re supposed to be good; can’t you think harder?’” he recalled, adding that the joke helped him through that terrible moment somewhat, but couldn’t stem the flow of tears coming from his wife, Maryellen, and brother, Jeb, who were with him in the room — or make the doctor any more at ease.

While making jokes about that diagnosis, Mike has also asked a lot of hard questions. Among them: what’s the longest anyone has ever lived after reaching stage 4 with this cancer? “The doctor checked with some other hospitals, came back, and said, ‘I think 20 months is the longest anyone’s lasted.’”

Doing the quick math in his head, Balise said 20 months for him would be roughly next May. He’s determined to not only get there, but somehow keep going and, through modern science, set a new longevity mark for people with his condition.

More importantly, he’s focused on living life as he would otherwise, and make the very most of whatever time he has left. That means considerable time on his boats, with his family, at Gillette Stadium, at the Balise headquarters taping radio commercials, and bringing attention to the need for more cancer services in this region.

He said 2015 has been both the most difficult year of his life and, in many respects, also the best. “Overall, I found more meaning this past year than at any other time in my life.”

For this issue, he consented to talk with BusinessWest about all that he meant by that statement, and how he copes with a very uncertain future through a “strategy for life” that he and his loved ones created together.

Setting the Stage

Balise told BusinessWest that the first 49 and a half years of his life were marked by very few health concerns of note, with the biggest issue, quite literally, being a bathroom scale that at times posted the number 335 or more when he stepped on it, but generally read between 235 and 245 in recent years.

“I was a gym rat — a weightlifter and a cardio nutcase,” he explained. “I grew up kind of fat, but I never had any real problems.”

So he wasn’t overly concerned when, in July 2014, he started feeling discomfort in his stomach. But anxiety increased as the pain continued and worsened.

When asked to describe it, Balise, who was at the time sipping a Diet Coke, said it would be like consuming an extremely large amount of that product and having it collect without burping.

“It was like an airy, gassy feeling — it’s a little hard to describe,” he recalled. “It started out mild, and then it got uncomfortable pretty quickly.”

Balise eventually went to seek medical attention, thus beginning an odyssey that has summoned every emotion and challenged him in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

And he could imagine plenty, especially after the colorful analysis provided by his local internist as he assessed and explained the information given to him following an endoscopy Balise endured early last October.

“He said, ‘you’re about to step into the ring with Mike Tyson … and you’ve never been to the gym before,’” Balise recalled, adding that doctors would soon tell him, “‘we don’t cure this kind of cancer; we can make it so your quality of life is better and extend your life, but we don’t cure this cancer.’”

As he talked about how this bout has unfolded, and what lies ahead, Balise said he was doing so somewhat reluctantly. He stressed repeatedly that there are many people in this region waging similar fights alone, and there is nothing extraordinary about his other than perhaps the severity of his cancer and the fact that his name, face, and voice are well-known within the community.

He said he consented to do this interview and a few others over the past year or so to shed some light on the myriad physical and emotional issues confronting all those who are battling cancer or will fight it someday, and to drive home the fact that those numbers continue to climb as the population ages and advancing science permits longer and, often, more successful fights against the disease. And more resources will be needed to help people wage those fights.

To get his points across, he summoned memories of visits to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he was taken aback by the sheer volume of people engaged in their own battles.

“It’s standing room only there all the time,” he said with seriousness in his voice mixed with a strong dose of concern. “You go there for your ‘labs,’ and you get there at 7 in the morning and you won’t leave till 5. There’s elderly people, individuals who are really sick, who don’t have a place to sit while they’re waiting, sometimes for 45 minutes, for their name to get called before their labs are done.

“There are people clamoring to get in that building,” he went on. “And when I talk to people I know who have been treated for cancer here in Springfield … it’s clear there’s a complete lack of capacity to handle the cancers out there.”

His own fight, as well as those images from Dana Farber and other facilities, no doubt played a role in the Balise family’s decision to make a $500,000 donation recently to the capital campaign to expand the Sr. Mary Caritas Cancer Center on the Mercy Medical Center campus.

“We might have done it anyway, but this …” he told BusinessWest, using that word to describe the sum of everything he’s experienced and witnessed since being diagnosed, “made it a no-brainer.”

Mike Balise says he hasn’t enjoyed a better, stronger relationship than the one he’s had with his brother, Jeb.

Jeb Balise used that same term to describe the gift. He told BusinessWest that it was, like all donations from the Balise corporation, a decision made by a small team of individuals that field and assess myriad requests for support, and Mike is a member of that team.

He had input in the Caritas Center donation, Jeb went on, but kept what would be considered a low profile, especially with regard to the dollar amount.

“He didn’t want to make it seem that, because he had cancer, we were giving this money,” Jeb explained, adding that, throughout this ordeal, his brother has worked very hard to see to it that things are not about him.

Instead, Mike’s been focused on making a difference, or more of a difference, Jeb continued, adding that, while he’s always been active within the community and with causes such as autism — he recently took a 7-year-old from his neighborhood with that condition to see Pats coach Bill Belichick as he delivered a new car to him — the cancer fight has provided more opportunities to do so.

“His tonic is being able to make a difference,” said Jeb. “Certainly he’s been an inspiration, and we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from other cancer survivors and people going through the same thing, and that’s tonic for Mike. He’s not really trying to save himself — he doesn’t have false expectations — but whether it’s raising money for the cancer cause or just helping the individual person with whatever their situation might be, that’s his biggest motivator.”

Body of Evidence

Turning back the clock a little more than a year, Mike Balise recalled that it took doctors some time to figure out what was causing that aforementioned pain in his stomach.

The discomfort started in July, and by September, he had seen a few doctors, who couldn’t find anything. Jeb, who had watched a colleague in the car business succumb to stomach cancer nine months after being diagnosed, grew increasingly concerned and prodded his brother to seek attention.

“I had a terrible feeling — I didn’t like what he was saying,” Jeb recalled.

Mike, meanwhile, was thinking that it was an ulcer, and as his 25th wedding anniversary and a planned weekend on Mount Washington approached, concern mounted.

“I said to Maryellen, ‘I’m going to go up there, and this ulcer’s going to rupture, and I’m going to be six hours away from a crappy hospital,’” he recalled, adding that the trip was eventually canceled amid his vow that he would make it up to her.

A few days later, though, an endoscopy rendered that pledge irrelevant and turned their world on its end.

“The procedure probably lasted about 30 seconds, and when it was over, they knew I was in pretty big trouble,” Mike told BusinessWest. “The guy said, ‘we found a tumor, and you should go to Boston’ — and that’s all he said.”

His internist, Dr. Rodney Larson, provided far deeper insight in the form of that Mike Tyson analogy. But it would be another week before the news became official, for lack of a better word.

“The doctor was looking at a screen, and it looked just like the TV in the movie Poltergeist,” said Balise, using more humor to relate the chain of events. “It had no distinguishable pattern or anything; it was just a fuzzy TV screen.

“He said, ‘do you see this?’ and I said, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me, doc — I don’t see anything.’ And then he replied, ‘you’re right; I forgot that you didn’t spend 15 years in medical school,’” he went on. “Then he said, ‘if we don’t get you on chemo this week or next week, your odds of survival will go down a lot.’”

There were more inquiries from Balise, and more humor. “My first question was, ‘how many stages are there?’ They said, ‘four.’ I go, ‘can you make a fifth?’” he recalled, adding that, when he asked how long he had to live and the doctor balked at answering, he insisted on knowing and issued what amounted to a threat.

“The doctor said, ‘well, we really don’t like to get to into prognosticating like that; it just confuses the patient more — people can obsess on that,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘cut the bullshit, doc; if you don’t tell me how long I’ve got, I’m going to leave and do whatever I need to do to get an answer.’

“So he looks at his screen, thinks for second, looks at the stage — I was stage 4 — and says, ‘80% of the people who get this will be dead in nine to 12 months.’”

Thus commenced a tortuous period that Balise likened to being a rat in a cage.

“The rat doesn’t accept that he’s in a cage,” he explained. “He wanders around the cage, poking at every nook and cranny repeatedly, looking for a way out. I was the same way.”

On a good night, Balise said, he could muster perhaps a few hours of sleep, a pattern that continued until he and loved ones came up with what he called a “strategy for my life, not just for my illness.”

Life Lessons

On the first page of that figurative document was dealing with the “dirty stuff, the painful stuff, the uncomfortable stuff,” meaning the broad task of putting his affairs in order, an important and challenging process, especially since he has an autistic 18-year-old daughter.

“We made the hard decisions, set up trusts, did all the paperwork,” he said, adding that, for this work and so many other aspects of his fight, he has leaned heavily on Jeb.

“I’ve never had a greater relationship with a human being in my life than the one I’ve had with my brother,” he told BusinessWest. “The trust factor is 100% there; in many of the cases where I would have to think through a lot of details, I just give Jeb durable power of attorney, and he can make any decisions, or my wife can.”

Jeb, deflecting attention away from his own contributions to the process, said simply that such financial work is “one of my strong suits.”

He said his brother has many as well, including the ability to use humor and other elements of his personality to not only navigate the physical and emotional whitewater from this ordeal, but also put others more at ease as they cope with the unfolding developments.

“Mike’s a warrior,” said Jeb. “He’s one part politician, one part Saturday Night Live character … and he’s a pretty smart businessman, too.”

But while Mike’s humor and other sentiments during this battle have been real, Jeb went on, he has used these various defense mechanisms to hide some of the many types of pain he has experienced during the ordeal.

“He really has done well, but he certainly masks much of what he has gone through,” he told BusinessWest. “His seemingly nonchalant attitude about all this is hard to put into words, but I think Mike really has focused on the quality of life every day instead of dwelling on the inevitable — and for all of us. He tries to focus on, ‘hey, what can I do today that’s meaningful and makes a difference?’”

Indeed, with that hard stuff behind him — and even during that challenging process — Balise said he went about, well, living life as he would have and not letting his diagnosis get in the way.

In some respects, that hasn’t been too difficult, because until recently, the pain that triggered this story had been absent from his life. Still, the chemo treatments, although less of an ordeal than he anticipated in some respects, have nonetheless packed a wallop, impacting everything from his energy level to his sense of taste, with the latter causing particular dismay.

“It’s been delightful compared to what I always heard it that would be — it’s been very kind to me,” he noted. “It changes … even though it’s the same medicine, the experience would be different every time I had it.”

Meanwhile, there have been many adjustments to make and new realities to accept when it comes to his body and what he can and can’t do.

“For years, I would bench-press 135 pounds 10 times, 185 pounds 10 times, and then 225 between four and eight times, and that was after doing all kinds of other warmups,” he explained. “Now, I do 100 pounds, one set, and I’m lucky if I can get 15 in.

“I don’t look that much different or worse,” he went on, adding that he currently weighs about 225 and hasn’t drawn too many questions from his mother about his waistline. “But things are different in terms of what my body can do and from a strength standpoint, but not from a flexibility standpoint or a million other standpoints.”

There have been changes in his workload as well, with Balise working a fraction of the 60 to 80 hours he traditionally put in during a work week years ago, with his duties now focused on coaching, mentoring, and continuing to be the voice of the company.

Those changes have resulted in part from his condition, but also due to some needed succession planning and realization that the company is much larger and more complex than it was years ago, said Jeb, adding that the company hired a COO roughly a year ago, and very recently added a vice president of sales, who handles many of Mike’s former responsibilities.

Living Color

For the most part, though, Balise said he has kept cancer from dictating his life, and his fight would be only one of many figurative headlines used to capture the news of the past year.

Indeed, he said the most tears — and they resulted from a hard mix of emotions — came not from anything related to his condition, but rather on the day he and Maryellen took Nicole, their 18-year-old autistic daughter, to a school outside Boston, where she will spend more than 10 months a year.

“Until then, she had never spent a night away from home,” he noted. “On January 5th, she started a residential program in Boston, which is great for her. Still, that was one of the teariest days of my life; she can’t talk, but if she could, that day she would have said, ‘mom and dad, drag your asses out of here — I’ll be fine … I’m so sick of living at home with you.’ She did much better than her father that day, believe me.”

There were also plenty of memories from last February’s Super Bowl, for which Mike, his family, and several of the company’s dealers who prevailed in a competition boarded a leased corporate jet.

Jeb, who admitted to being far less of a Pats fan than his brother — “frankly, I’d rather watch paint dry than a football game” — watched the contest with Mike’s children, and said the Pats’ historic comeback and the game’s unlikely ending took on added significance because of Mike’s condition and thoughts that this might be his last Super Bowl.

Looking back on the past several months, though, Mike said he hasn’t dwelt on his own mortality and has instead been focused on living for the day, and even the moment.

He said there’s been only one occasion when he momentarily allowed himself to think, ‘this might be the last time I do this,’ and that was at Christmas, spent at the family’s home in Florida.

“I had a great Christmas Eve and then woke up Christmas Day with my kids in my house in Florida, and I just felt really despondent, thinking, ‘this is going to be the last Christmas, the last this, that, and the other thing,’” he recalled, adding that this funk was broken by a joke told by Rock 102 personality and close friend John O’Brien, who was visiting him at the time.

“I was in a fit of laughter that lasted three days,” he went on. “I would have wrestled myself out of it anyway, but it took him six seconds, and it was a joke to my wife that I overheard.”

And such negative thoughts have not returned. He doesn’t know if they will, but he’s committed to fighting such urges.

Life has gone on in most all respects, including that recent visit to Gillette Stadium, when Belichick taught the youngster how to grip a football and spent some time hanging with the child.

“He’s always gracious, and even though it was a really busy time, he met with the kid and spent some time with him in the middle of the work day,” said Balise as he grabbed his phone to proudly show some photos from the day. “He’s as real as you can get.”

The trip to Gillette, however, also coincided with a visit to Dana Farber for what Balise believes is the fourth CAT scan he’s had since he was first diagnosed. He didn’t know at the time exactly what the scan revealed, but said this simple fact means there is probably more bad news coming.

“What they’re looking for is not so much the cancer in my stomach, but the cancer in my lymph nodes and how that’s developing and if it’s hit any major organs yet,” he explained. “My doctor, who I think the world of, and he’s bright as hell and a really nice guy … he didn’t bring up the scan. So the kind of guy I am, I’m thinking, ‘you didn’t bring up the scan, so that means we’ve got bad news on the scan.”

Balise didn’t need the scan to tell him something was wrong. The pain that returned in July grew in its intensity, and as the calendar turned to August, it was with him 24 hours a day.

Still, he remains optimistic, notes that he’s never stopping hoping that a cure might be found, and hopes the new chemotherapy and other forms of treatment might buy him some time, meaning quality time — and more.

“This new chemo that I’m on could have the effect that it knocks this thing on its heels for a year, like my doctor said optimistically,” he said. “And when and if this one fails, there’s one other type of chemo that I might try. Doctors could be wrong; there might be a miracle, I might get hit by a bus … who knows what could happen?”

He does know that he plans to keep matters in perspective, and recalled a few of those visits to Dana Farber as he explained how he does that.

“You never see a child there — maybe once in a while, if they get a little slack and they bring me to one of the hospitals next to Dana Farber like Brigham & Women’s, I’ll see a kid with no hair,” he explained. “It’s only happened twice, because they really keep the kids separated, which is a good thing. But let me tell you … if you want to get your head out of your ass real quick, get a look at a 10-year-old kid who’s going through this stuff. That’ll do it.”

Bald Ambition

Looking ahead, Balise said he has a number of wishes and hopes for the future, starting with the Patriots. “I want to see Tom Brady finish the season,” he said, adding that, like many other fans of the team, he believes Deflategate will become a motivating factor for the Pats and their quarterback and possibly inspire another title run.

Meanwhile, he desperately wants to outlive his mother, a sentiment she would share under any circumstances, although he joked that none of his siblings may accomplish that feat at the rate she’s going.

He also wants to bring greater attention to the need for more cancer services — everywhere, but especially here in Western Mass. — and plans to continue using his still-high profile and ongoing fight to be part of that effort.

What he doesn’t want is for anyone to feel sorry him — he’s packed a lot into his 50 years, and has certainly enjoyed the many trappings of wealth — and cites those and many other reasons why.

Overall, he wants to spend as much time on the water and with his family as possible and be relentless in his efforts not to let cancer dictate the terms of his life.

He’s not sure when or how this figurative bout with Mike Tyson will end, but he does know he’s not ready to be counted out yet.

He’s still got plenty of living to do.

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

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Magazine Commons Gives Residents Scattered by Tornado a Fresh Start

Architecture Sections

Peace of Mind

Joan Ingersoll says Magazine Commons represents an important measure of independence for its residents, who are clients of the Mental Health Assoc.

When an apartment complex owned by the Springfield-based Mental Health Assoc. was destroyed in the 2011 tornado that touched down in the city’s South End — displacing 14 MHA clients who lived there — the architects at Studio One certainly empathized, because their offices were wrecked as well.

“We really could relate,” said Christopher Novelli, one of those architects. “These people lost their homes. It’s an emotional experience. We lost our office, and Greg Zorzi, our principal, had an apartment above our office, so he lost his home as well.”

So Zorzi and his team took plenty of satisfaction in designing Magazine Commons, the new, 16-unit apartment building on Magazine Street that replaces the former residential complex on Union Street. The new structure, set to open in November, was built next to the MHA’s headquarters on Worthington Street, in the city’s McKnight district, on a formerly blighted parcel.

“We had a building on Union Street that we’d operated for 30 years, but it was completely destroyed,” said Joan Ingersoll, president and CEO of the MHA, which provides residential and support services that promote independence, community engagement, and wellness for people impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, homelessness, and other challenges. “The people scattered; some relocated in other towns, and others stayed in Springfield.”

Several will be returning this fall to Magazine Commons, which is a success story on multiple levels, said Novelli, referring to its importance to the MHA and also its development on a brownfield site the city had been anxious to clean up for some time.

“There were contaminated soils, and it was unusable for building,” Novelli said. “The city owned it for years and issued several RFPs, but there were no takers on the property. Finally, the MHA came in.”

For this issue’s focus on architecture, BusinessWest talked with Novelli and Ingersoll about how the $4.6 million project came together, and how the new building will improve the lives of its tenants.

Home Again

In the aftermath of the tornado, residents of the destroyed complex dispersed to temporary housing, Ingersoll said, but, four years later, the MHA had no problem filling the 17,000-square-foot Magazine Commons with former Union Street residents as well as new clients.

“Some people are moving in from a group home, so this is their first opportunity to live independently,” she noted. “Some already live independently, so this is a different opportunity for them; they’re excited to move in. A couple of people had been in and out of different places and had periods of homelessness, and this is brand-new, stable housing.”

Chris Novelli (right, with Greg Zorzi) says Magazine Commons achieves two goals: to restore housing to those who lost it in the tornado, and to help revitalize a neighborhood by replacing a brownfield site with a building that complements the architecture of its environs.

Darnella Johnson, one of the individuals preparing to move in, told BusinessWest she expects it to be comfortable and safe, and appreciated its proximity to a bus line — an amenity Ingersoll said is important to clients seeking to hold down employment.

Vincent Littlejohn is one of those. “I’m looking to get a job, and living close to a bus line will help me get to a job and my [support-group] meetings,” he said, noting that he, like Johnson, is currently living in a group home and is looking forward to a new measure of independence once interior construction is complete.

The facility, built by N.L. Construction in Ludlow, includes four apartments on the first floor and six apartments each on the second and third floors. The design also includes common space as well as office space for MHA staff.

“It has a community room for skill-building opportunities like cooking lessons, classes, and gatherings for social opportunities,” Ingersoll explained. “The staff offices are on the first floor — but this is not a staffed residence; the staff are outreach staff. All the residents have a certain number of hours the staff spends with them on things they need assistance with — managing medications, going to doctor appointments, teaching them how to take public transportation, how to manage money. Some of the staff will have the building as their home base, but they don’t sleep there.”

Novelli said the interior design reflects the needs of people who live independently but still face challenges.

“The people that will live there are all capable of self-preservation, all capable of living on their own. It’s not an assisted-living facility,” he explained. “There is some extra reinforcement in the bathrooms and some higher-durability finishes — rather than using carpet, it’s all tile in the living room, so it cleans up easily.”

Another challenge was fitting the building’s exterior into the historical context of the McKnight neighborhood — typically a priority for Studio One, which has plenty of experience designing housing complexes.

“We did a study of existing housing sites, and didn’t want to replicate them,” said Novelli. “But we wanted to make sure it fit in, as far as the exterior detailing, the massing of the building, and the proportions. We had several neighborhood meetings with people in the McKnight district.

“Some of the items in the original design were cut due to budget, but we were able to keep most of the proportions they wanted,” he went on. “All 16 are one-bed units, 550 square feet with large kitchens that open to living rooms.”

Studio One’s design also complied with — and in many cases exceeded — the city’s stretch codes, which mandate strict standards for energy efficiency, he added.

“We’re going beyond that with highly efficient mechanical systems, the building envelope, and thermal details,” he said, noting that such codes are becoming industry standard in many types of buildings, just as homeowners and developers are increasingly understanding the eventual cost savings. “The main concern has always been the bottom line rather than the long term. But people are starting to realize that, if you invest money at the start, you end up saving more money.”

Community Asset

Ingersoll was quick to note that Magazine Commons represents not just a housing complex, but a $4.6 million investment in the neighborhood, including sidewalks, lighting, neighborhood stabilization, and brownfield development. And it’s not an investment in just 16 current residents, but for dozens, even hundreds more over the coming decades, all of whom are trying to get to a more secure place in life, she added.

The MHA’s development team presented the plans to the McKnight Neighborhood Council in April of 2013, at which time the council voted to support it. The project has received financial support from the city of Springfield, the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the Mass. Community Development Assistance Corp., the state Department of Mental Health, MassDevelopment, the Affordable Housing Program of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and People’s United Bank.

With about $2 million in insurance money in hand from the tornado, the multiple funding partnerships meant the MHA had to finance only about $750,000 of the overall cost. Designated a HUD 202 project for people with disabilities, the apartments are subsidized, with residents paying no more than 30% of their income and HUD picking up part of the rental cost, Ingersoll noted.

“HUD told us we could rebuild in Springfield when we got the subsidies transferred over to the new project,” she explained. “We’ve been working with the city since then to identify and agree on the land, which was, fortunately, right next door to our main offices. The land was a pretty big parcel, but it was blighted and needed cleanup. We bought it for a dollar from the city, and we were able to revitalize the whole block.”

Novelli said the design included a specialized foundation system called a geo-pier, which densifies soil underneath a structure, so it can be built on what otherwise would be considered unsuitable soil.

Despite the challenges — or perhaps because of them — he and Zorzi are gratified to help the MHA rebuild a key component of its services. Founded in 1960, the agency operates 21 sites throughout Greater Springfield and serves more than 400 people annually through its residential and outreach programs.

Magazine Commons will be staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., making the location next to MHA headquarters ideal for both residents and staff, Ingersoll added.

“It’s pretty unbelievable for the people moving in there,” she told BusinessWest. “I’ve had the opportunity to go in with some clients for the first time. When they see it, they become so excited. They think the units are beautiful. It’s a great opportunity for them.”

After all, she added, good housing is often a critical step in helping people procure good jobs and a brighter future. “It’s often the foundation for everything else in life.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

MGM Springfield Presents Updated Design to City Officials

View of Main and Howard streets

View of State Street and MGM Way

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield announced it has presented updated renderings and new details of its design to the city of Springfield. The new drawings are the result of a complete site-plan review driven by several factors, including a one-year opening-date extension, final directives on historic property use, construction market trends, and in-depth conversations with Mayor Domenic Sarno and city officials.

In a letter to the mayor, MGM executives hailed the new design as a better approach to immediately activating the Main Street corridor and spurring new economic development, while reconfirming September 2018 as the completion date.

“I believe this is one of the most exciting moments in the history of MGM Springfield,” said Michael Mathis, MGM Springfield president. “As we collaborate with the city on what is best from an economic-development perspective, the finer details are taking shape, and our programming is improving minute by minute.”

This more integrated urban design features off-site residential space, which opens up room for a Main Street hotel that would encourage tourists and visitors to more readily engage Springfield’s downtown. Conversations are underway with property owners of nearby potential residential sites that would complement the resort-casino development.

As the final design evolves, the project will feature a new five-story hotel atop a floor of retail, creating an improved scale on Main Street. The 250-room hotel would now become the eastern anchor at Howard Street of the 14.5-acre development.

“This design brings to life our commitment to develop new residential activity in downtown Springfield,” Mathis noted. “Through our extensive and detailed review, we determined off-site residential would more quickly encourage ancillary development across the downtown. We are currently talking to potential partners in developing market-rate residential units.”

Under the revised design, the historic columned façade at 73 State St., which had been the iconic focal point for the hotel tower, will remain as such for the updated structure, which will be home to what is tentatively being called the South End Market. With floor-to-ceiling windows, the market will be an inviting, trendy gathering space featuring local and national food and beverage vendors.

“We have never lost sight of how important it is to integrate our development and its unique design needs with this historic New England downtown,” Mathis said. “We think the changes along Main Street and this new layout are more in line with a true downtown mixed-use development that will make MGM Springfield the premier urban resort in the industry.”

Following several meetings with Springfield officials, MGM Springfield will present this new design plan to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The company will continue to refine its design as it proceeds with the site-plan review process with the city.

Berkshire Museum Announces Program for Low-income Families

PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Museum has joined Museums for All, a signature access program of the Assoc. of Children’s Museums and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to encourage families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.

The program will enable low-income families (two adults and two children) to visit the Berkshire Museum free with the presentation of an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card. Families can also visit any participating museum year-round for a minimal fee. The museum’s participation in this program is funded by the TD Charitable Foundation.

The Museums for All initiative represents a stride toward the goal of reaching more children and parents, especially those living in poverty, with the valuable learning resources of museums. Museums, with their unique focus on bringing children, families, and communities together, are committed to providing access to all. Each year, children’s museums host more than 31 million visitors. The Museums for All initiative will allow family-friendly museums to further expand their reach and impact.

UMass Center at Springfield Looks to Grow Its Influence

Education Sections

Root Geometry

Daniel Montagna says the UMass Center at Springfield is looking to build on the momentum gained during a solid first year.

Dan Montagna says he can easily quantify the success enjoyed by the UMass Center at Springfield during its initial year, as well as the momentum it gained for the second, which started earlier this month.

Indeed, the number of classes offered at the 26,000-square-foot facility in Tower Square increased from 20 in its first semester of operation a year ago to more than 25 this fall. And while he didn’t have an exact count when interviewed by BusinessWest — the so-called ‘add/drop period’ for many classes was still ongoing — he was quite certain that the number of students enrolled in classes in the state-of-the-art facility had increased markedly as well.

“Going from fall to spring, we saw a sharp increase in both the number of classes and programs, as well as enrollment,” said Montagna, who assumed the role of director of Operations at the center last spring. “And for the fall, it looks like a little bit of an uptick in the number of classes, but a potentially greater number of students who will be attending classes here.”

There were other measures of success, he went on, including the 275 or so community events of varying sizes staged at the center’s diverse facilities.

As for the other assignment put to him by BusinessWest — qualifying how the center has fared with its mission of helping to bring vibrancy to downtown Springfield and provide new levels of convenience for area students — he said that was slightly more difficult, especially the first part of that equation.

And it will certainly take more than 12 months to effectively answer that question.

But he felt very confident saying that the center has established a firm foothold downtown, forged several strong working relationships with other area colleges, and already become a huge asset for the region.

“From our measures, it’s been a very successful start for the center,” he said, adding that the obvious goal is to build on that momentum. “It’s about growth, expansion of the academics, and seeing what other courses we can bring in and focus on concentration areas.

“As for the other side of the equation, the community-engagement side,” he continued, “the fact that we’ve been able to plant roots in the heart of downtown Springfield and host perhaps 300 community events has been outstanding, and something we continue to build on.”

For this issue and its focus on education, BusinessWest takes a quick look back at the UMass Center’s first year in operation, and then puts the focus on how this facility can continue to gain momentum.

Course of Action

Montagna was on hand when the center opened its doors a year ago — and actually well before that — in the capacity of assistant director of operations.

He had taken that role after stints as a project manager for a private consulting firm that specialized in work with nonprofits, and, before that, as a program manager for the so-called Bay State Roads program, a state- and federally funded transportation initiative that provided technical assistance to officials in area communities. He said he joined the team at the UMass Center because he was intrigued by the center’s role with the university — and with the city of Springfield — and wanted to be a part of it.

“What attracted me to it was the concept of UMass bringing a campus to the downtown Springfield area,” he explained. “That immediately grabbed my attention, and as a local native, growing up in Agawam and living in the Pioneer Valley my whole life, I have a personal investment in the surrounding community.

“I’ve always been a cheerleader for Springfield doing better things,” he went on. “And the timing around the developments in the downtown, the revitalization efforts, along with the university making this investment and wanting to bring some of what they’re known for to the downtown area, was really exciting to me.”

He would take on a much bigger part last spring, when William Davila, the center’s first director of Operations, left to take a position with the Center for Human Development.

Montagna said his job description has a number of moving parts — from keeping the proverbial lights on to being a liaison to Tower Square management to being the face of the center within the community — but at its heart it’s fairly simple: to continually broaden the center’s impact in downtown Springfield and within the region’s higher-education sector. And, he said, a successful first year has provided a solid foundation on which to build.

“We want to focus on all aspects of our mission, building not only the scope of academic programs here, working with the campus communities,” he explained, “but also the community-engagement component; we want to be much more than a satellite campus.”

Elaborating, he told BusinessWest that the center can be classified using a number of nouns, starting with ‘facility.’

Indeed, it serves as a central location from which UMass Amherst and other colleges and universities can offer classes and other programs.

That location, as well as the large inventory of facilities — from large classrooms to varying-sized conference rooms to large study areas — also makes the center a resource, another of those nouns, said Montagna, adding that a wide array of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and economic-development groups have staged meetings and other types of events there.

That list includes Springfield Public Schools, the United Way, the Department of Homeland Security (which staged a training program for local law-enforcement officers there), and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield.

As it carries out those roles, the center also serves as a “partnership,” he went on, adding that UMass Amherst collaborates with Westfield State University, UMass Boston, Springfield Technical Community College, and Holyoke Community College to provide convenient access to courses in a number of fields.

The center now hosts classes for several UMass Amherst programs, including the College of Nursing, which has a large presence there, as well as TEACH 180 Days in Springfield, the Isenberg School of Management’s part-time MBA program, and University Without Walls. Meanwhile, it also hosts UMass Boston’s Addictions Counselor Education Program; Adult Career Pathways, Adult Basic Education, community health training, and workforce-training programs from STCC and HCC; and a Community Planning course, which is a collaboration between the STCC, Westfield State, and UMass Amherst planning departments.

All of the above assures a steady flow of students and instructors into the center, which offers both day and night classes, said Montagna, adding that this critical mass inspires use of another term to describe the facility — catalyst.

And while there may be some objective gauges of the overall impact of the center — such as in the number of additional lattes sold at Dunkin Donuts or paninis at Hot Table on the ground floor at Tower Square — this is more of a subjective analysis at this point, he told BusinessWest, although those at the center continue to look for more ways to measure its impact.

“One of the things I’m really working on with my staff is the quantifying component,” he explained. “We’re trying to measure as much as we can; we’re trying to work toward more cohesive, more comprehensive tracking of our usage and our impact downtown.”

Overall, he believes the center is certainly contributing on the micro level — with receipts at area downtown restaurants, for example — and will eventually be impactful on the macro level as well, being one of a host of new facilities, businesses, and initiatives that make downtown a true destination.

Branching Out

Summing up the UMass Center’s first year of operation, Montanga said the initiative (there’s still another noun used to describe it) returned to that notion of putting down roots, noting that they have certainly taken a firm hold.

What develops from those roots remains to be seen, obviously, but he believes the center will grow into a vital contributor to the region’s economy, its ongoing efforts to create a large, capable workforce for the future, and the vibrancy of a downtown in the midst of a comeback.

In many respects, he said in conclusion, it is already all of the above.

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

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

Chamber Corners Departments

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• Oct. 1: Amherst Area Chamber Annual A+ Awards Dinner, 5-9 p.m., at the Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Annual A+ Awards Dinner is the social event of the year.This year, we will be honoring six awardees for their contributions to life and commerce in the Amherst Area. The MVP Award, Legacy Awards, and awards for Lifetime Achievement in Business, Community Service, and Young Professionals will all be given. In addition, we seek to honor our two Cooley Dickinson Scholarship winners. Presenting sponsor: PeoplesBank.

• Oct. 30: Chamber Legislative Breakfast, 7: 15-9 a.m., at the Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. Sponsored by Eversource. Cost: $15 for members, $20 for non-members.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Sept. 23: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., Marcotte Ford, 1025 Main St., Holyoke. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For more information or to register, visit www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Oct. 2: Rock Your Holidays with a Great Promotion, 9-11 a.m., at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield. Seminar presented by Liz Provo, authorized local expert, Constant Contact. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members.

• Oct. 13: Table Top Expo & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented by the Greater Chicopee, Holyoke, Westfield, and Springfield Regional chambers of commerce. Exhibitor tables are $125 for members of the participating chambers. Cost to attend: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. Open to the public.

• Oct. 16: Lunch & Learn with Thom Fox, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Hampton Inn, 600 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. “Want to Make More Money: All You Have to Do is Ask!” Cost: $15 for members, $23 for non-members.

• Oct. 21: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley.

• Oct. 28: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at Loomis House, 298 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Oct. 8: Networking by Night, at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Health Center Southampton. Join us and our host for a Fall Fiesta celebration, and enjoy a fun night of networking, interactive health stations, and appetizers provided by Meyers Catering. Sponsored by Dollars for Scholars.

• Oct. 19: Celebrity Bartenders, 6 p.m., at Opa Opa Brewery. Join in on all the fun and laughs as you help support funding this season’s holiday lights.

• Nov. 4: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Join the Greater Easthampton, Greater Northampton, and Amherst Area chambers along with our host, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, for a networking extravaganza. Sponsored by Duseau Trucking.

• Nov. 6:  CheckPoint 2015 Legislative Summit. Registration and networking, 11 a.m.;  welcome, lunch, and keynote speaker, noon to 1:30 p.m.; Chamber View Dialogue with chamber executives, followed by legislative response, 1:30-3 p.m.; cocktail reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, 3-4 p.m. Keynote speaker: state Senate President Stanley Rosenberg. Also hear from Tim Wilkerson, regulatory ombudsman of Economic Policy Development at the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development. Guests will have the opportunity to ask questions to invited legislators.

• Nov. 7: 15th Annual Greater Easthampton Chamber Viva Las Vegas Bowl-a-Thon, at Canal Bowling Lanes, 74 College Highway, Southampton. Two sessions: 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. A night of fun, laughs, music by DJ Jay Paglucia, and pizza as you help support funding this season’s holiday lights.

• Nov. 11: Monday Morning with the Mayor, 8-9 a.m., Burger King, Easthampton.

• Dec. 3: Holiday tree lighting and visit from Santa, 6:30-8 p.m., at Pulaski Park, Easthampton.

• Dec. 4: Greater Easthampton Chamber Snow Ball, 6-11 p.m., at the Garden House, Look Park. An old-fashioned, elegant, holiday affair. Sit-down dinner featuring Meyers Catering, live music, and dancing featuring Maxxtone. Dress in style, black tie optional.

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376

• Sept. 23: Legislative Coffee Hour, 7:45-9 a.m., at Slainte Restaurant, 80 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke. Sponsored by Ferriter & Ferriter Law and Hadley Printing. Speakers: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger, and Holyoke Fire Chief John Pond. Join us for coffee and conversation where members of the community have a chance to ask questions regarding issues facing Western Mass. and the Greater Holyoke area. Tickets: $20 for members with advance reservations, $25 for non-members and at the door. Price includes a continental breakfast.

• Oct. 7: The Chamber Coffee Buzz Morning Networking, 7:30-9 a.m., at Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Holyoke. The Coffee Buzz is a great way to jump-start your day with the opportunity to meet business and community leaders while enjoying coffee and a light breakfast. The Coffee Buzz series is sponsored by Lyon & Fitzpatrick, LLC. Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse will help launch the chamber’s new morning networking series. Public-school receiver Stephen Zrike Jr. will be the guest speaker. Free to the business community. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 534-3376.

• Oct. 14: Autumn Economic Development Business Salute Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., at the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Sponsored by Holyoke Medical Center, Ferriter & Ferriter Law, and Resnic, Beauregard, Waite and Driscoll. Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., is keynote speaker. Other guests include Andrew Crystal, vice president at O’Connell Development Group Inc.; Marcos Marrero, director of the Holyoke Economic and Development Office; E. Denis Walsh of Weld Management; and John Aubin of Open Square. New members Holyoke Signs & Design, Elevation Art and Framing, Century Homecare, and Presley Law, PLLC will also be recognized, as well as FlynMar Rubber & Plastics’ 45th anniversary and Open Square’s 25th anniversary. Tickets include a buffet breakfast and cost $25 for members with advance reservations and $30 for all others. Reservations may be made online at holyokechamber.com.

• Oct. 21: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at Northeast IT Systems Inc., 777 Riverdale St., West Springfield. Business networking event. Refreshments, 50/50 raffle, and door prizes. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for all others. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 to sign up, or visit holyokechamber.com.

• Oct. 22: Leadership Holyoke/Meet at Wistariahurst Museum, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A leadership series with HCC faculty members participating as instructors and facilitators. Community leaders will participate as speakers. Sponsored by PeoplesBank and Holyoke Community College.

• Oct. 28: Murder Mystery Dinner, 6-9 p.m., at the Yankee Pedlar, 1866 Northampton St. Networking cocktail hour at 6-7 p.m., with full-course dinner to follow. Sponsored by Meyers Brothers Kalicka and Baystate Restoration Group. During “Mystery at the Masquerade,” trade clues with other guests and solve the crime at this night of masks and murder. Cost: $49.95 for members, $52.95 for non-members and at the door.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Oct. 7: October Arrive @ 5 Open House, 5-7 p.m., at the chamber office. Sponsored by Pioneer Training, Innovative Business Systems, and Florence Savings Bank. Cost: $10 for members.

• Nov. 4: November Arrive @ 5 Open House, 5-7 p.m. Hosted by Cooley Dickinson Hospital, 30 Locust St., Northampton. Cost: $10 for members.

• Dec. 2: December Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., at Hampshire Council of Governments, Northampton. Sponsored by Applied Mortgage. Cost: $10 for members.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Oct. 1: Community Discussion, 7 p.m., at Westfield State University, Scanlon Hall, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Free and open to the public. The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, the city of Westfield, and Westfield State University, will host a healthy-community advocate, Mark Fenton. Residents, health professionals, business owners, planning experts, and anyone with an interest in redesign of a community for improved health outcomes should attend. Fenton is a national public-health, planning, and transportation consultant; an adjunct associate professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; and former host of the America’s Walking series on PBS. He has authored numerous books, including the bestselling Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness.

• Oct. 5: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at the Arbors, 40 Court St., Westfield. Event is free and open to the public. To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Oct. 5: Medicare Made Easy, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Presented by Sarah Fernandez, Medicare sales manager, Health New England. Cost: free for members, $30 for non-members. To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Oct. 14: Oktoberfest After 5 Connection, 5-7p.m., at East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. Sponsored by Highland Valley Elder Services and MedExpress Urgent Care. Cost: $10 for members, $15 cash at the door for non-members. To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Oct. 19: Long-term-care Planning, 4:30-5:30 p.m., at Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Sponsored by Renaissance Advisory. Cost: free for chamber members, $30 for non-members. To register, call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618

NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ncccc.org
(860) 741-3838

• Oct. 20: Networking Lunch, noon-1:30 p.m. For more information, contact the chamber at (860) 741-3838 or [email protected]

• Oct. 22: Business to Business Expo, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 1 Bright Meadow Blvd., Enfield, Conn. For more information, contact the chamber at (860) 741-3838 or [email protected]

NORTHAMPTON AREA YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

www.thenayp.com
(413) 584-1900

• Oct. 8: October Networking Social, 5 p.m., at McCray’s Farm. Join us for our monthly networking social, complete with fall fun such as pumpkin picking and hayrides. Cost: free for NAYP members, $10 for non-members. RSVP with the chamber.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER

www.professionalwomenschamber.com
(413) 755-1310

• Oct. 7: PWC Headline Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Munich Haus, 13 Center St., Chicopee. Featuring Kathleen Corbett, former president of Standard & Poors, lead director of the MassMutual board of directors, and founder of Cross Ridge Capital. Cost: $30 for PWC members, $40 for general admission. Reservations may be made online at www.professionalwomenschamber.com.

• Oct. 13: PWC Ladies Night, 5-7 p.m., at Kate Gray, 398 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow. Enjoy complimentary wine and refreshments. Reservations are complimentary but required. Reservations may be made by contacting Gwen Burke at [email protected] or (413) 237-8840.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Sept. 22: September 2015 Pastries, Politics, and Policies, 8-9 a.m., at the TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield. Featuring state Sen. Benjamin Downing, chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. Cost: $15 for members, $25 for non-members. For more information, contact Sarah Mazzaferro at (413) 755-1313.

• Oct. 7: Springfield Regional Chamber Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at Crestview Country Club, 281 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Featuring Duane Cashin, sales growth strategist, motivational speaker, sales trainer, business development consultant, and author. Saluting Noonan Energy (125th anniversary) and Adam Quenneville Roofing, Siding and Windows (20th anniversary). Sponsored by United Personnel. Cost: $20 for members in advance, $25 for members at the door, $30 for generation admission. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

• Oct. 14: Springfield Regional Chamber Lunch-n-Learn, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield. “Creating Marketing Campaigns Perfect for the Holiday Season,” with local authorized Constant Contact representative Liz Provo. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for general admission.Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

• Oct. 23: Springfield Regional Chamber Super 60, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Honoring the region’s top performing companies. Featuring keynote speakers Emily and Oliver Rich – the Tea Guys. Cost: $50 for members, $70 for general admission. Tables of eight or 10 available. Reserve by Oct. 14. No walk-ins accepted, no cancellations after deadline. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ourwrc.com
413-426-3880

• Sept. 24: Breakfast Seminar, 7-9 a.m. at Oakridge Country Club, Feeding Hills. Breakfast tickets available, $25 for chamber members, $30 for non-members. For more information and for tickets, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected]

• Oct. 6: West Springfield Mayoral Candidates Forum, 6 p.m., at West Springfield Town Hall. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

• Oct. 7: Wicked Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted By John P. Frangie, M.D., West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

• Oct. 28: Food Fest West, 5:30-8 p.m., at Chez Josef, Agawam. The event will feature the foods of area restaurants, including Chez Josef, Classic Burgers, Crestview Country Club, EB’s, Hofbrau Joe’s, Murphy’s Pub, Partner’s Restaurant, Pintu’s, and more. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the Partnership for Education and the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

CRRC USA Rail Corp. Breaks Ground on $95M Springfield Plant

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Charlie Baker and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno joined a host of local and state officials and representatives of CRRC USA Rail Corp. recently for a groundbreaking ceremony at the city’s former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard, where the company will build its first North American plant. CRRC, a Chinese-based manufacturer of urban mass-transit vehicles, won a $565 million contract with the state last year to build nearly 300 subway cars for the MBTA’s aging Red and Orange lines — a project that promises 100-plus construction jobs from the building of a 220,000-square-foot plant, and more than 150 new manufacturing positions. CRRC visited about 50 North American sites before settling on Springfield. “Today is a great day in Springfield, and in Massachusetts, with CRRC, the largest railway company in the world, coming to Springfield,” Sarno said, noting that, while manufacturing was the city’s strong industrial base for generations, it started to erode in the 1970s, but has never gone away, and CRRC could be a catalyst to further shift the needle in a positive direction. “We now have a $95 million project here at the old Westinghouse site. This will be CRRC’s North American hub. It’s important that we use this as leverage and momentum,” the mayor said — not just for further manufacturing in Springfield, but a for a boost in regional rail service. “I’d love to see that east-west rail connecting Boston to Springfield to Washington, D.C.” While calling the groundbreaking “an exciting day for Springfield, an exciting day for the Commonwealth, and an exciting day for Western Mass.,” Baker said the MBTA is in dire need of new cars on its Red and Orange lines. During Boston’s crippling winter earlier this year, he said, it was pointed out to him that the rail cars pressing through the storms were the same ones that endured the Blizzard of ’78. “Think about that — that was a really long time ago, folks,” he told hundreds of people in attendance at yesterday’s ceremony, calling CRRC’s arrival a piece of the state’s “strategy to bring jobs, economic development, and transit improvements for the benefit of all people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Weiping Yu, vice president of CRRC Corp. Limited in Beijing, said he was “honored” to partner with officials in Massachusetts and Springfield on the $95 million construction project and the economic benefits it will generate. Yi Lu, general commercial counselor for the New York Chinese Consulate, added that he’s confident the new Springfield plant will be a strong engine for the local economy, generating hundreds of new jobs and perhaps spurring further Chinese investment in the region. “Looking back on our initial discussions when we first visited Massachusetts,” added Chuanhe Zhou, president of CRRC USA Rail Corp., “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made, the relationships we’ve built, and the partnerships we’ve formed — from meetings with city officials to tours of local manufacturers to visits to local educational institutions. We couldn’t have found a better partner than you.” Jay Ash, the state’s secretary of Housing and Economic Development, said CRRC wants to be a good neighbor by hiring local people, taking advantage of local supply chains, and engaging with companies around Western Mass. as it expands in the future. And expand it should, added Stephanie Pollack, the Commonwealth’s Transportation secretary, if only because much of the country is dealing with the same issues as Massachusetts when it comes to aging rail cars. “We know what CRRC knows, which is that the MBTA is hardly the only transit system in the United States with 1970s-era cars,” she noted. “In fact, a lot of cars in this country were bought in the 1970s with what was then a relatively young federal program for producing them.” Baker credited his predecessor, former Gov. Deval Patrick, and his team with much of the legwork to bring CRRC to Massachusetts. “They did make this day possible. Sometimes you get credit for stuff that happens on your watch, whether you had anything to do with it or not.” That said, the governor went on, “our administration is thrilled to be here today. We consider this project to be not just an important part of the economic-development story in Springfield, but an important part of the future of the MBTA and transit in Massachusetts.”

Parent Companies of Local TV Stations Announce Merger

SPRINGFIELD — Media General Inc., owner of NBC-affiliated WWLP 22 and the CW Springfield, has agreed to buy Meredith Corp., owner of WGGB abc 40, CBS 3 Springfield, and Fox 6, for about $2.4 billion in cash and stock. The combined company, Meredith Media General, will be the third-largest local television station owner, initially with 88 television stations across 54 markets that reach 30% — approximately 34 million — of U.S. TV households. It anticipates annual revenue of $3 billion. Stations in six markets, including Springfield, will be swapped or otherwise divested in order to address regulatory considerations. The other five such markets are Portland, Ore.; Nashville, Tenn.; Hartford-New Haven, Conn.; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C. and Asheville, N.C.; and Mobile, Ala. and Pensacola, Fla. “This merger creates greater opportunities for profitable growth than either company could achieve on its own,” said Media General Chairman J. Stewart Bryan III. “Importantly, shareholders of both companies will benefit from the upside potential of a diversified and strategically well-positioned media company with a strong financial profile and the ability to generate significant free cash flow.” Added Meredith CEO Steve Lacy, “we are excited about the opportunity to create a powerful new multi-platform and diversified media company with significant operations on the local and national levels. This merger will create a strong and efficient company positioned to realize the significant earnings and cash flow potential of local broadcasting, leverage the unparalleled reach and rich content-creation capabilities of Meredith’s national brands, and capture the rapidly developing growth potential of the digital media space. It also positions Meredith Media General to deliver enhanced shareholder value and participate in future industry consolidation.”

Unemployment Rate Steady in New England

BOSTON — The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released New England and state unemployment numbers for July. These data are supplied by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor-force data for Census regions and divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many cities. Among the highlights of the release:
• The New England unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.7% in July. One year ago, the New England jobless rate was higher, at 5.8%. The New England unemployment rate was lower than the national rate of 5.3%.
• Three New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from the U.S. rate of 5.3%: Vermont (3.6%), New Hampshire (3.7%), and Maine (4.6%).
• Over the last year, five New England states recorded statistically significant unemployment-rate decreases, with declines ranging from 1.8% in Rhode Island to 0.5% in Vermont.

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Adamski-Maggi, Carol A.
58 Hadley Village Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Alicea, Adneris
164 Leopold St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/15

Armitage, Kevin D.
181 Burleigh Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Arroyo, Moises
104 Sunapee St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/04/15

Barkman, Mikka
PO Box 381
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/15

Berniche, Charlene
P.O. Box 763
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Besserman, Rachel C.T.
a/k/a Weiss, Rachel
75 West St. 4A
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

Brown, Margaret L.
a/k/a Pace, Margaret
a/k/a Ware, Margaret
71 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/15

Brown, Tammy L.
118 Colton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Caputo, Candace M.
15 Hampden Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

Caruso, Frank R.
Caruso, Lorraine D.
14 Garford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

Colon, Mitchelly
a/k/a Colon Zayas, Mitchelly
41 Ionia St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/07/15

Cornelius, Paula A.
65 Summit St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Dumas, William Richard
79 Mitchell Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/15

Dwyer, Carroll H.
Dwyer, Teri L.
336 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

Field, Timothy R.
118 Lake Mattawa Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Freeman, Jay R.
1022 Church St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/15

Gilbert, Shane W.
134 College Highway, Apt. G4
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Govor, Yelena
770 Blanford Stage Road
Russell, MA 01071
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Gregori, Bruce F.
242 Burbank Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Hammonds, Andrew
Hammonds, Maralyn A.
221 Harvard Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Hassan, Mohamed M.
377 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/15

Healey, James F.
42 Mead Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/15

Johnson, Charlene A.
48 Pearl St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/15

Kerr, James W.
27 Cambridge Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/13/15

Konovalov, Kirill G.
33 Norman Terrace
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Latham, Mary Mae
112 North Whitney St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/05/15

Lawrence, Ronald C.
Lawrence, Deborah A.
1138 Dunhamtown Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

McSweeney, Angela
100 Bearsden Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/07/15

O’Connor, Donald M.
O’Connor, Janet Lee
234 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/11/15

Pagan, Gladys Michelle
342 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/15

Perez, Mikie
P.O. Box 4794
Chicopee, MA 01014
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/10/15

Perini, Francis R.
Perini, Eileen E.
115 Anzio Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Ramsey, David G.
31 State St., Apt. 24B
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/13/15

Rivera, Jorge R.
44 Better Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/15

Sanchez, Ronny R.
Sanchez, Maria Elsie
39 Groton St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/12/15

Segala, David J.
Segala, Nancy C.
22 Walnut St. #3
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/15

Shaw, Robert A.
Shaw, Barbara A.
127 Burma Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Smart, Thomas M.
148 Anvil St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/09/15

Solomon, Harriet R.
39 North Summer St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/15

Sudsy Bubbles Inc.
JK Healey Inc.
Vending 4 Quarters
Healey, Kelly M.
42 Mead Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/14/15

Thompson, Tamara Rita
16 Hollywood St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Tilton, Richard R.
251 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/11/15

Valentine, Belinda
124 Exchange St., 3rd Fl.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/04/15

Warren-Roy, Elizabeth A.
24 Brigham Street
Northborough, MA 01532
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/31/15

Weitz, Irwin
45 Wheelmeadow Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/08/15

A Chart of Area Industrial Parks

Commercial Real Estate Sections

Centers of Business

Click HERE to download the PDF list of Industrial Parks in Western Mass.

Local Dance Store to Host Meet and Greet to Benefit Food Pantry

EASTHAMPTON — Mary Ann’s Dance and More, a local dance apparel store, announced a meet-and-greet event to benefit the Easthampton Community Food Pantry.

Mary Ann’s Dance and More invites the public to welcome the Pioneer Valley Talent winners — including Miss Pioneer Valley, Miss Star of Hope, Miss Westfield Fair, and Junior Miss Westfield Fair — on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. at 56 Cottage St., Easthampton. The girls will be signing autographs to help benefit the Easthampton Community Center Food Pantry, and are asking for donations of non-perishable food items.

Opened in 2007, Mary Ann’s Dance and More offers dance supplies, including apparel and accessories, as well as novelty and gift items. For additional information about the meet and greet, contact the store at (413) 282-0054.

NUVO Bank Helps Preserve City of Homes

SPRINGFIELD — NUVO Bank & Trust Co. announced an open house and ribbon cutting to be held at a historic Queen Anne home that was rehabilitated, in part, through a short-term construction note from the Bank. The event will take place this Thursday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the home, located at 83 Bowdoin St. in Springfield’s McKnight historic district.

The single-family home, which was built in 1881, was purchased from the city for restoration by Demetrios Panteleakis, who has rehabilitated several other homes in Springfield’s historic neighborhoods. According to Jay Seyler, vice president of NUVO’s Commercial Loan Division, the city took the property through tax title and, through a grant program, sold it to Panteleakis at a discounted price along with a portion of the rehab funds needed to renovate it.

“He had financed similar projects through NUVO Bank in the past, and, with that history, he approached us to provide the remaining funds for the Bowdoin Street home through a short-term note,” said Seyler. “The benefit to Springfield is, once the project is completed and the home is sold, it’s back on the tax roll. It was previously a vacant property, abandoned and not earning any income for the city.”

The restoration of the home recently earned Panteleakis a Preservation Award from the Springfield Preservation Trust, which honors individuals and organizations that help restore and protect Springfield’s historic places. The property was in full rehabilitation at the time, which means it was in “complete disrepair,” said Panteleakis, who previously received Preservation Awards for rehabilitation projects on Bay and Westminster streets.

“NUVO Bank has always been committed to our preservation of homes within the city of Springfield,” said Panteleakis. “They have been a great community bank that supported us with our first restoration. NUVO Bank took a chance on us. They believed that we could not only rehab these homes, but make them marketable inside the city of Springfield. They really helped us with more than just the lending; they actually helped with the act of developing a business plan and making it economically feasible.”

The Bowdoin Street renovation would not have been possible without the collaboration of NUVO Bank, the Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development, and the city’s Housing Department, he added. “All three have played a great part in preserving Springfield’s history.”

HUB International Announces Multiple New Team Members

EAST LONGMEADOW — HUB International New England, a division of HUB International Limited, a global insurance-brokerage, risk-advisory and employee-benefits firm, announced multiple new hires in its East Longmeadow office to meet the needs of its expanding products, services, and customer demand.

Appointed as an employee benefits client relationship manager, Eileen Maxwell will be responsible for assisting staff with client relations, service, sales, and administrative activities of new and existing group benefit accounts. With almost 30 years of experience, she has an extensive background in planning, evaluating, implementing, relationship building, and managing all aspects of employee benefits.

Marayda Pagan joins the Personal Lines department as an account manager and will be responsible for assisting clients with their home, auto, and personal-liability umbrella coverages. She has held various positions in the insurance industry, starting out as an office assistant before being promoted to processor. She also held the position of Personal Lines manager.

Cynthia Squires has been hired as the manager of Select Business for small to medium-sized business accounts in the Commercial Lines department. She has been in the insurance industry for almost 30 years and brings an extensive amount of knowledge and leadership skills to the agency. She will be responsible for the day-to-day management and servicing of small-business accounts, providing oversight and direction to commercial-lines staff, leading quality-control and product-analysis processes, managing departmental retention, acquiring new business goals, and staying on top of the latest industry changes and trends.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Eileen, Marayda, and Cynthia on board during this exciting period of growth for the company,” said Timm Marini, president of HUB International New England, formerly FieldEddy Insurance. “Their respective experience will be an essential part in helping to further the agency’s goals of expanding our products and services while maintaining the highest level of service standards and best value to our clients.”

AIC to Premiere Documentary on Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) will host the Western Mass. premiere of Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four this Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Griswold Theater on the AIC campus.

The documentary’s screening, a movie about a movie that never happened, follows a successful series of showings this summer at San Diego Comic-Con, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation in Los Angeles, and Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif. The film has received rave reviews in Variety, Esquire, and the Wall Street Journal.

Doomed is the brainchild of AIC Film and New Media Professor Marty Langford and his creative partner, Springfield native Mark Sikes, now living in Los Angeles. Langford, a lover of sci-fi films, comic books, and superheroes from his youth, was intrigued when he uncovered legendary film director Roger Corman’s unreleased work, The Fantastic Four.

In a Hollywood tale of intrigue, Langford and Sikes unravel the mystery surrounding a fully cast and produced movie — now a cult classic — that never saw the light of day. The documentary, three years in the making, gives the actors and crew a chance to tell their story.

“They put their hopes and dreams into a project they thought was going to change their careers,” Langford said, “but, in reality, there was never any intention of releasing it. Those with the most invested were kept in the dark.”

The screening of Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four is free and open to the public and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Langford.

State Unemployment Rate Remains at 4.7% in August

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate remained at 4.7% in August, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced.

The new preliminary job estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Massachusetts gained 7,200 jobs in August, marking the 12th consecutive month of job gains. Year to date, Massachusetts has added 56,500 jobs.

Preliminary August estimates show the number of employed residents declined by 20,600 and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 2,500, reducing the labor force by 23,100.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.9% from 5.6% in August 2014. The August state unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate of 5.1% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Massachusetts continues to add jobs that strengthen our economy, and the unemployment rate is holding steady, lower than the national average,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II said. “We recognize there are still more than 160,000 people looking for work, and are aligning strategies to better help them find employment.”

The state’s labor-force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — decreased 0.5% to 65.3%. The labor-force participation rate over the year has decreased 0.1% compared to August 2014.

August 2015 estimates show that 3,424,000 residents were employed and 167,500 were unemployed. There were 33,200 fewer unemployed persons over the year compared to August 2014. The largest private-sector percentage job gains over the year were in professional, scientific, and business services; construction; and information.

Dress for Success Welcomes Gina Golash Kos to Board of Directors

SPRINGFIELD — Dress for Success (DFS) announced that it has appointed Gina Golash Kos to its board of directors.

Golash Kos brings vast nonprofit leadership experience to the table — both in her role as CEO at Sunshine Village and in leadership positions in the region’s nonprofits. She is currently a trustee of Elms College and a member of the executive committee of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. She previously served on the board of trustees of Westfield State University and is a past chairperson of the boards of the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce.

Human Resources Unlimited to Present Recognition Event Oct. 15

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Human Resources Unlimited will present its annual Recognition and Fund-raiser Event on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m., and the program runs from 7:45 to 9 a.m.

The Sheldon B. Brooks Employer Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to YMCA of Greater Westfield; the Employer of the Year Award will be presented to Harrington Memorial Hospital; the Rookie Employer Award will be given to Plastipak Packaging; and the Armand Tourangeau Volunteer of the Year is John Ernst.

RSVP by Friday, Oct. 2 at [email protected] or (413) 781-5359. The breakfast is by invitation only, and seating is limited to the first 200 people. The suggested minimum donation is $100. Proper business attire (jackets for gentlemen) is required. The gold sponsors are Hub International (formerly FieldEddy Insurance) and United Bank, and BusinessWest is the media sponsor.

Nancy Shendell-Falik Promoted to President of Baystate Medical Center

SPRINGFIELD — Nancy Shendell-Falik, who for the past two years has served in a dual position at Baystate Health as senior vice president/chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for Baystate Medical Center, has been promoted to president of Baystate Medical Center and senior vice president for hospital operations at Baystate Health. Her appointment becomes effective Oct. 1.

“During her two years at Baystate, Nancy has propelled the organization as both a system leader and COO/CNO of Baystate Medical Center. Her new role is an important step in our journey toward becoming a fully integrated health system, ensuring that we deliver care most effectively and efficiently,” said Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “As Baystate Health continues to develop a regional model of care, an important new directive for Nancy will be to help us to achieve a greater alignment between our five hospitals, physicians, and other community providers.”

Baystate Health consists of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, and its newest members, Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer and Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield.

In Shendell-Falik’s new role, the presidents of Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Health’s Northern Region, Baystate Noble Hospital, and Baystate Health’s Eastern Region will report to her.

Before coming to Baystate, Shendell-Falik — an experienced healthcare and nurse leader with years of success improving the quality of patient care, hospital efficiency, and patient satisfaction — served as senior vice president for Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children in Boston. During her tenure there, she demonstrated a collaborative style of leadership in championing numerous initiatives to improve clinical quality, patient safety, and patient experience. She implemented a system of performance scorecards across all departments, served as executive sponsor of Tufts’ Patient and Family Advisory Council, and sponsored a novel leadership-education program.

Prior to her work in Boston, Shendell-Falik served as senior vice president, Patient Care Services, at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey. While at the 673-bed, regional-care teaching hospital, she led similar successful initiatives to improve quality and safety, implemented a nurse-residency program, and reduced nursing vacancy rates.

Since joining Baystate in July 2013, Shendell-Falilk has encouraged new interdisciplinary collaborations as a way to further improve patient experience, and served as the architect behind developing standard attire for various caregivers to help patients identify who is providing their care. Also, under her leadership, Baystate Medical Center was named to an elite group of High Performing Hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report for 2015-16.

Shendell-Falik holds a master’s degree in nursing from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Rutgers College of Nursing. She was a fellow of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Program. She holds membership in numerous professional societies and organizations, including the Mass. Organization of Nurse Executives, the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Alumni Assoc., the National Assoc. for Female Executives, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She has published more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles in national journals on topics such as team-based care, achieving Magnet status, and implementing clinical practice guidelines.

Keroack noted that Shendell-Falik’s appointment is a milestone in the history of Baystate Health, marking both the first female president and first nurse as president of Baystate Medical Center.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to guide our nationally recognized hospital into the future,” she said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with staff and leaders of all Baystate facilities to deliver care that is compassionate, of the highest quality, and affordable. As I prepare to assume my new role, I am honored and humbled to be the first woman and nurse to hold this position at Baystate.”

For more information on Baystate Medical Center, visit baystatehealth.org/bmc.

Dakin’s Leslie Harris to Step Down as Executive Director

SPRINGFIELD — After 20 years at Dakin Humane Society, Executive Director Leslie Harris announced she will be resigning her position on Oct. 2 to pursue a new opportunity at Quonquont Farm & Orchard in Whately.

“Leslie’s vision and leadership has given Dakin incredible momentum and untold success stories,” said Charlotte Cathro, Dakin’s board treasurer. “Since joining the organization in 1995, Leslie grew Dakin from an all-volunteer, foster-based network to one with more than 60 employees between its two locations in Springfield and Leverett, a full-time spay/neuter clinic that has performed more than 60,000 surgeries, and a multi-million-dollar budget. I know I speak for the entire board in expressing my appreciation for Leslie’s stewardship of Dakin and wish her great success in her new role.”

Under Harris’s leadership, Dakin Humane Society grew from serving 300 animals in its first year to more than 20,000 in 2014. She led the charge to merge operations with Greenfield’s Pioneer Valley Humane Society in 2006 and the expansion of operations to Springfield in 2009.

Today, Dakin encompasses two adoption centers and the Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. Due to Dakin’s affordable, wide-reaching spay/neuter programs, intake of local homeless kittens has declined 46% in the past six years. Dakin has met its dual goals of eliminating euthanasia as a means of controlling pet overpopulation in the Pioneer Valley and guaranteeing the placement of every adoptable animal that arrives at its front doors. Harris currently oversees the organization’s $3.7 million budget.

“It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as Dakin’s executive director,” Harris said. “This was a hard decision to make, given my love for animals and Dakin, but I know the organization will continue to thrive and evolve thanks to its dedicated staff and volunteers. I will continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of Dakin’s work.”

Dakin’s board voted to appoint its recent president, Nancy Creed, to the position of interim executive director. The board will now conduct a search for a permanent replacement who, according to Cathro, “exemplifies our guiding principles, is committed to our mission, and can lead the organization into the next phase of its development, expand community goodwill, and challenge the Dakin nation to bigger and better things.”

Dakin Humane Society is a local, nonprofit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses that care about animals to bring its services to the community. For more information, visit www.dakinhumane.org.

PVTA Taps Project Manager for Bus Operations, Maintenance Facility

SPRINGFIELD — City Point Partners announced it has been selected by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) to oversee the design and construction of the new Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility on Cottage Street in Springfield, replacing the existing, 100-year-old facility.

The new, 280,000-square-foot, $70 million facility will be built on an 18-acre site and will provide bus maintenance and storage for the PVTA’s Springfield fixed-route operation. The facility will be able to accommodate approximately 150 fixed-route buses, including standard-size diesel buses and articulated buses.

Included in this new facility will be management office space, fuel bays, wash bays, bus and van storage bays, garage and body-shop areas, parts storage, exercise rooms, locker rooms and showers, lounge, dispatch center, employee parking, and green spaces. A new cell tower will also be installed onsite to support the PVTA’s IT communications. The new facility will seek LEED certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s green-building rating system.

City Point Partners will provide owner’s project-management services advising with respect to the design, scope of work, cost estimating, construction manager-at-risk and subcontractor selection, schedule overview, and performance monitoring.

With ridership expected to continue its steady increase and a number of high-profile development projects in the Springfield area scheduled to be completed within the next two to three years, the PVTA is planning for a greater expansion of service and consequently will require larger facilities to support this service expansion.

“We are very excited to be working with City Point Partners on this critical project. A larger operations center is a vital part of supporting the expanded service that our ridership demands,” said Mary MacInnes, administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.

Added Colleen Moore, president and founder of City Point Partners, “this is a very exciting time for the PVTA. Both the public- and private-sector developments planned for the Springfield area will change the city of Springfield itself and the Pioneer Valley. We are confident that we will be able to help the PVTA meet the rising demand of their ridership, which will result from these developments and ultimately stimulate increased economic activity in the region. We are very happy to be working for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.”

City Point Partners has a growing owner’s project-management practice with multiple projects across Massachusetts.

Science Museum to Host Viewing of Total Lunar Eclipse on Sept. 27

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Science Museum will host two opportunities to view the heavens in the coming weeks, including a viewing of the total lunar eclipse on Sunday, Sept. 27. Eclipses of this type are rare — the next such occurrence won’t take place for another four years, and the moon’s close proximity to the earth makes the event even more unusual.

The Science Museum will be open to the public starting Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m., when museum staff and Springfield Stars Club members will lead observatory tours, planetarium shows, and presentations about eclipses. At 9 p.m., the activity will shift outside to the viewing area on the Quadrangle’s North Lawn, where Stars Club members will have telescopes set up to observe the eclipse. The partial phases of the eclipse begin at 9:07 p.m. and continue until the moon is totally eclipsed from 10:11 to 11:23 p.m.

During the total phase, the normally brilliant full moon will appear much dimmer and shine with an eerie, greyish-orange color. In case of cloudy or inclement conditions, live streaming video of the eclipse will be projected at a location inside the Science Museum. The cost to attend the eclipse event is $5 for adults and $3 for ages 17 and under.

Later that week, the Science Museum’s large rooftop telescope will be open for public skygazing on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Stars Over Springfield observatory series. These programs are organized by the museum and the Springfield Stars Club, and take place on the first Friday of each month. Stars Over Springfield programs are best suited for families with children ages 8 and older; however, younger children are also welcome.

Admission to the October 2 event is $3 for adults and $2 for children 17 and under. These programs are held rain or shine. If it is cloudy, a planetarium show will be presented in place of telescope viewing. The featured talk on Oct. 2 will be presented by Science Museum planetarium educator Jack Megas, who will discuss “Viewing the Autumn Sky.”

Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson to Open Oct. 5

NORTHAMPTON — Yesterday, more than 150 donors, doctors, healthcare administrators, and oncology staff attended a ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony at the new Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

The ceremonial event marks the end of construction of a 16,400-square-foot facility, of which 3,400 square feet is new space and 13,000 square feet is renovated existing space.

Officials at Cooley Dickinson were notified earlier in the day that the Mass. Department of Public Health review is complete and the facility has been approved. Patient care begins in the new center Monday, Oct. 5.

“This is a tremendous day for Cooley Dickinson, Mass General, and for everyone who’s worked so hard to make the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital a reality,” said Joanne Marqusee, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care. “We are committed to combining the personal care of a community hospital with access to world-renowned medical experts. That is the promise of the affiliation and the promise of the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.”

Dr. Sean Mullally, medical director of the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and a Mass General Cancer Center physician, said the majority of cancer care can be provided at a community hospital. “In some cases, it does make sense for people to go to the Mass General Cancer Center. In those instances, we are making sure that patients get the right treatment in the right place. And if people need to go to Boston, we make it more convenient for the patient to get there; we coordinate their care with doctors at Mass General who sub-specialize in cancer.”

Mullally said a patient who needs chemotherapy will have access to the same treatment regimens, protocols, and safety as the Mass General Cancer Center. “They can get their chemotherapy here knowing we are following the same clinical guidelines as the Mass General Cancer Center. At Cooley Dickinson, patients are closer to home, surrounded by family and friends, and in more comfortable environment.”

After years of business plans, architectural drawings, and input from patients and community members, the new Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson was designed around the needs of patients and their care team.

“There has been tremendous input from our patients,” Mullally added, noting that their input — coupled with engineering and facility-design best practices — has shaped how care is delivered in the center.

The new facility quadruples the footprint where patients had been receiving care in the oncology medical practice. Highlights include:

• An 18-chair infusion bay for patients receiving chemotherapy with comfortable chairs where some patients can receive treatment for up to eight hours, personal TVs and wi-fi, plus room for a caregiver;

• Four infusion rooms available for those who require more privacy;

• Two large nurses’ stations for patient monitoring;

• Ten exam rooms;

• A multi-disciplinary consultation room for use by different members of a patient’s care team, such as physicians, surgeons, nutritionists, and social workers;

• A videoconferencing room for teleconsultations with Mass General Cancer Center physicians;

• A dedicated reception area with a beverage station;

• A dedicated check-out area that facilitates private conversations for follow-up care;

• A dedicated entrance immediately inside the North Building lobby; and

• Access to convenient parking and valet parking at the North Building entrance.

Taking care of patients in the new center will be medical oncologists Dr. Lindsay Rockwell, Dr. Barrett Newsome, Dr. Sean Mullally, and Dr. Deborah Smith, and radiation oncologists Dr. Linda Bornstein and Dr. Jennifer Hyder. Depending on each patient’s unique circumstances, physicians coordinate care with their colleagues at the Mass General Cancer Center in Boston. Smith will begin seeing patients at Cooley Dickinson in November.

Patients requiring radiation-oncology treatments have access to the Vitkauskas Crowe Radiation Oncology Suite. The linear-accelerator radiation-oncology equipment is the same model used the Mass General Cancer Center in Boston. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapists follow the same safety and treatment protocols as the Mass General Cancer Center.

In addition, Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s pharmacy was renovated and expanded last year as one of the first steps of the construction of the new Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson. The pharmacy is across the hall from the new center. Clinical-oncology pharmacists offer patients the same treatment regimens, protocols, and safety for chemotherapy as the Mass General Cancer Center in Boston. Other improvements include an expanded and state-of-the-art medication-compounding area.

Gove Law Office Welcomes Katrina Anop

NORTHAMPTON — Gove Law Office announced that Katrina Anop will join the practice as an associate attorney.

As a bilingual (English- and Spanish-speaking) lawyer, Anop will assist clients with their real-estate, family-law, guardianship, and probate needs. She received her bachelor’s degree in legal studies from UMass Amherst and her juris doctorate from Western New England University School of Law in 2011.

Gove Law Office, with offices in Northampton and Ludlow, is a bilingual firm with attorneys who can assist clients in both English and Spanish, providing legal representation in the areas of business representation, commercial lending, residential and commercial real estate, estate planning, guardianships, probate administration, and bankruptcy.

Men of the Year to be Honored at Women’s Fund Event

EASTHAMPTON — The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM) will celebrate its inaugural Men of the Year Award recipients on Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow. The Women’s Fund Men of the Year Award will honor three men from our region who, in their professional or personal lives, have made significant contributions to ensure economic and social equity for women and girls.

More than 200 participants are expected to attend, including local and state elected officials. The event is open to the public and will include craft beers, dinner, and live music. Tickets cost $65 and may be purchased online at www.womensfund.net.

“We are thrilled to host this inaugural awards event that will highlight how men are working with us to create a better world for women and girls,” said WFWM CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román. “Together, we can make a difference.”

Nominations for Men of the Year are being accepted online at www.womensfund.net through Sept. 21. A volunteer selection committee will determine the three award recipients. The ideal nominee demonstrates an outstanding history of efforts to ensure economic and social equity for women and girls in the Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, or Berkshire area; exemplifies civic, work, or community leadership; demonstrates collaborative spirit by working with other individuals, organizations, or projects; and inspires others to prioritize gender equity and empowerment in their professional and personal lives.

The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts is a public foundation that invests in local women and girls through strategic grant making and leadership development. Since 1997, the Women’s Fund has awarded more than $2 million in grants to nearly 100 organizations in the region.

Hannoush Jewelers to Hold Grand Re-opening Event at Holyoke Mall

HOLYOKE — Hannoush Jewelers will host a grand re-opening “Meet the Family” event on Friday, Oct. 2 at its location in the Holyoke Mall.

“We’re excited to unveil the complete renovation of our Holyoke store,” said Peter Zografos, store manager. “Hannoush Jewelers is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and we invite everyone to stop by our event, meet the owners, and have lunch on us.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Food will be provided on location at the event, from noon to 1:30 p.m., courtesy of Shortstop Bar & Grill in Westfield. Also, in conjunction with the chain’s 35th anniversary, the winners of the “Hannoush Moments” 35th-anniversary commercial contest will be announced. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact the Holyoke store at (413) 536-7353.

Hannoush Jewelers in Holyoke is one of 50 Hannoush Jewelers retail locations throughout the country. Hannoush Jewelers first opened its doors in 1980 with a single location at the former Fairfield Mall in Chicopee.

Lunch-n-Learn Program to Focus on Year-end E-mail Marketing

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber’s first Lunch-n-Learn of its 2015-16 season will focus on holiday marketing campaigns and take place on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield.

Liz Provo, authorized local representative for Constant Contact, one of the leading e-mail marketing service providers in the country, will return as a presenter with “Rock Your Holidays: Creating Marketing Campaigns That Are Perfect for the Holiday Season.”

Geared towards companies in all industries, the workshop will provide simple, practical tips for closing out 2015 on a high note. Participants will learn how to leverage social media to engage new and existing customers; which promotions and special offers work for business right now; best ways to drive response from e-mails and social posts; easy strategies to keep offers looking good on a cell phone or tablet; how to create and manage a campaign for the holidays; how to create a simple playbook to plan marketing activities all season long; and how to measure results.

Provo has been involved in sales and marketing throughout her career. A magazine publisher, blogger, and early adopter of social media, she has taught small-business owners throughout Western Mass. how to effectively use today’s marketing tools to grow their businesses. As an authorized local expert with Constant Contact, Provo joins a network of 200 professionals around the country who are available to associations, organizations, and event planners, speaking on relationship marketing.

Reservations cost $25 for members and $35 for general admission, which includes lunch, networking time, and one-on-one discussions with Provo. Attendees will also receive a pre-pay discount up to 25% on an existing or new Constant Contact subscription to its e-mail marketing, online survey, and event marketing tools.

Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or by contacting Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected].

Bruce Devlin Named Among Best Lawyers in America

SPRINGFIELD — Crear, Chadwell, Dos Santos & Devlin, P.C. announced that attorney Bruce Devlin was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2016 in the field of trust and estates.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence, based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. More than 79,000 leading attorneys have cast more than 6.2 million votes to date on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

“As a peer-review survey, Best Lawyers is a comprehensive analysis of legal expertise in the area, and I am humbled and honored to be among the attorneys to be listed,” said Devlin. “The Best Lawyers lists are the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals.”

Devlin has worked in both the legal and accounting professions. He founded the law firm Frankel Devlin, LLC, where he worked from 2007 through mid-June 2014, when he joined Crear, Chadwell, Dos Santos & Devlin.

Devlin has effectively incorporated his tax background into his legal expertise, focusing on business law, wills, trusts, and other aspects of estate planning, probate, estate administration, taxation, and elder law. He holds a legal master’s degree in taxation, which he earned following his graduation from law school.

Springfield Museums Joins Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live!

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums will once again open their doors free of charge on Saturday, Sept. 26 as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 11th annual Museum Day Live!

On that day, the Springfield Museums and a host of others across the U.S. will emulate the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington-based facilities by offering free admission to those who download a Museum Day Live! ticket.

Inclusive by design, the event represents the Smithsonian’s commitment to make learning and the spread of knowledge accessible to everyone. Last year’s event drew more than 400,000 participants, and this year’s event is expected to attract more museum patrons than ever before.

“We’re honored to join with the Smithsonian and other prestigious institutions across the nation in this worthwhile effort,” said Kay Simpson, interim president of the Springfield Museums, adding, “the multi-faceted nature of our collections, from priceless works of fine art to exhibits on science and transportation history, mirrors the diversity on display at the Smithsonian’s many facilities.”

To participate, visitors must download and present a Museum Day Live! ticket, which is valid for free entrance for up to two people at participating venues on Sept. 26 only. The ticket may be downloaded at smithsonian.com/museumday. One ticket per household, per e-mail address, is permitted.

More information about the Museum Day Live! event and a full list of participating cultural institutions can also be found at smithsonian.com/museumday.

Susan Fentin Recognized Among Top Women of Law

SPRINGFIELD — Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a labor- and employment-law firm serving employers in the Greater Springfield area, announced that attorney Susan Fentin will be an honoree at the annual Top Women of Law event presented by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The event, recognizing the top 50 female legal professionals in Massachusetts, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel in Boston.

The Top Women of Law program celebrates the outstanding achievements made by exceptional women in the legal profession. The awards highlight 50 women who are pioneers, educators, trailblazers, and role models. Fentin is the only honoree from the Pioneer Valley.

Fentin joined Skoler, Abbott & Presser in 1999 and has been a partner at the firm since 2004. Before beginning her law career she had a career in business and owned and operated her own marketing and advertising company. The experience gave her insight into the employment problems faced by many business owners. Today, she specializes in employment-law issues, counseling employers on handling difficult employee situations and avoiding litigation, defending employers against charges of discrimination under state and federal law, and employment litigation in state and federal court.

Her interest in helping employers is evident in her editorship of the Massachusetts Employment Law Letter and her involvement with the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Las Vegas. Her passion for employment law has also led her to Cambridge, Mass., where she has held master classes on behalf of M. Lee Smith Publishers on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

A complete list of the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly 2015 Top Women of Law honorees can be found online at masslawyersweekly.com/top-women-of-law/2015-honorees.

American Pickers Plans to Film Episodes in Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS — Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and Antique Archeology will film episodes of their hit series American Pickers throughout Massachusetts in early October.

American Pickers is a documentary series on the History channel that explores the world of antique ‘picking.’ It follows two of the most skilled pickers in the business, Wolfe and Fritz, as they embark on an epic road trip across the U.S. in search of America’s most valuable antiques, from motorcycles, classic cars, and bicycles to one-of-a-kind vintage memorabilia. As they restore forgotten relics to their former glory, they learn a thing or two about American history along the way.

American Pickers is looking for leads, and are on the hunt for interesting characters with interesting and unique items. They’re seeking vintage bicycles, toys, unusual radios, movie memorabilia, advertising, military items, folk art, vintage musical equipment, vintage automotive items, early firefighting equipment, vintage clothing, and pre-’50s western gear.

If you have a large collection or want to refer someone to Wolfe and Fritz, e-mail your name, phone number, address, and description and photos of the collection to [email protected].

Elms College Recognized in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

By BusinessWest Staff September 14, 2015

CHICOPEE — The College of Our Lady of the Elms ranks in the top 25 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of Best Regional Colleges (North). Elms is one of only five colleges in the state that made the top 25, and one of only two in Western Mass. The college also ranked 10th on the list of Best Value Schools in the region, and ninth in the Freshman Retention Rate category.

The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are designed to help students and their families find colleges that offer the best academic value for their money. The list provides at-a-glance breakdowns of each institution, and ranks them based on indicators including value and first-year student retention rate.

The Best Value category considers each school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance in 2014-15 for a student receiving average need-based financial aid. “The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal,” U.S. News notes.

In the Freshman Retention Rate category, the publication explains that up to one-third of first-year students do not return for their second year of college because of financial issues, family problems, or other hurdles. “Some colleges do a great job of taking care of their freshmen; some don’t,” U.S. News notes. The retention rates in this category represent the average percentage of freshmen who started college in autumn 2010 through fall 2013 and who returned to school the following autumn. Elms College’s retention rate is 82%.

Springfield Regional Chamber Joins Local Chambers for Business Expo

By BusinessWest Staff September 14, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber is once again partnering with the Greater Chicopee, Holyoke, and Westfield chambers of commerce on the 18th annual Rake in the Business Table Top Expo and Business Networking Event on Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Castle of Knights, 460 Granby Road, Chicopee, sponsored by Nuvo Bank & Trust Co.

The expo provides local vendors an affordable opportunity to exhibit products and services to consumers. Last year, more than 100 vendors participated in the event, including photographers, marketing firms, staffing firms, banks, entertainment venues, and health insurers.

Exhibitor space is available for $125, which entitles the exhibitor to an eight-foot, skirted display table and two complimentary entry passes. Electricity is limited but available upon request.

The Table Top Expo is open to all chamber members as well as the general public for a nominal fee of $5 per person in advance, $10 at the door. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

The event is sponsored by platinum sponsors Health New England, PeoplesBank, MedExpress Urgent Care, and Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice Services; gold sponsors Nuvo Bank, Peoples United Bank, and BusinessWest; and silver sponsors Spectrum Business, Chicopee Savings Bank, Elms College, Dave’s Truck Repair, the Republican, Easthampton Savings Bank, and First American Insurance Agency.

For more information or to exhibit, contact Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected] or (413) 755-1313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County Awarded Mentoring Grant

By BusinessWest Staff September 14, 2015